As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 25, 2022
Registration No. 333-255320
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
AMENDMENT NO. 1
TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 6770 | 86-2152714 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor,
Burlingame, CA 94010
Telephone: (415) 367-6000
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrants principal executive offices)
Mark Bradley
Chief Executive Officer
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor,
Burlingame, CA 94010
Telephone: (415) 367-6000
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Tad J. Freese Menlo Park, California |
Ryan J. Maierson Houston, Texas 77002 |
Paul Tropp Ropes & Gray LLP 1211 Avenue of the Americas New York, New York 10036 Telephone: (212) 596-9000 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ | |||
Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION DATED APRIL 25, 2022
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
$200,000,000
20,000,000 units
Stillwater Growth Corp. I is a newly incorporated blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not scheduled any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the date that is 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants once the warrants become exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding shares of Class A common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Our sponsor, D Squared Sponsor LLC, has committed to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 warrants (or 4,233,333 warrants if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($5,900,000 in the aggregate, or $6,350,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
Our initial stockholders own 5,750,000, subject to adjustment, shares of Class B common stock (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders on a pro-rata basis depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised). The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination, and such rights may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock. On all other matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of the Class B common stock and holders of the Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share of common stock entitling the holder to one vote, except as required by law or the applicable rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) then in effect.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on Nasdaq, under the symbol SWGCU on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. The Class A common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BofA Securities, Inc. (BofA Securities) informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols SWGC and SWGCW, respectively.
We are an emerging growth company and smaller reporting company under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. See Risk Factors on page 42. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Per unit |
Total |
|||||||
Public offering price |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 200,000,000 | ||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)(2) |
$ | 0.55 | $ | 11,000,000 | ||||
Proceeds, before expenses, to us |
$ | 9.45 | $ | 189,000,000 |
(1) | Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See also Underwriting for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters. |
(2) | The underwriters have agreed to reimburse us for a portion of our offering expenses. See Underwriting. |
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200.0 million, or $230.0 million if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2,900,000 will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with this offering and for working capital following this offering.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about , 2022. 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.
BofA Securities
The date of this prospectus is , 2022
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
Page | ||||
1 | ||||
16 | ||||
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements And Risk Factor Summary |
41 | |||
42 | ||||
81 | ||||
86 | ||||
87 | ||||
89 | ||||
Managements Discussion And Analysis Of Financial Condition And Results Of Operations |
91 | |||
98 | ||||
136 | ||||
149 | ||||
152 | ||||
155 | ||||
171 | ||||
181 | ||||
191 | ||||
191 | ||||
191 |
Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under Risk Factors and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
| Acquisition Advisory Council and AAC are to our Acquisition Advisory Council, which will assist us in sourcing and evaluating transaction opportunities; |
| amended and restated certificate of incorporation are to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be filed and in effect upon the completion of this offering; |
| board of directors and our board are to the board of directors of our company; |
| common stock are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock; |
| company or our company are to Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation; |
| DBO Partners are to DBO Partners LLC, a subsidiary of DBO Partners Holdings LLC, which is the parent company of DBO Partners Acquisition LLC, a member of our sponsor; |
| founder shares are to shares of our Class B common stock initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the automatic conversion thereof at the time of our initial business combination as provided herein; |
| initial stockholders are to our sponsor and other holders of our founder shares prior to this offering; |
| letter agreement are to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
| management, our management team or our team are to our officers and directors, and directors are to our current directors and director nominees; |
| our officers are to the officers of our company; |
| private placement warrants are to the warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering; |
| public shares are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market); |
| public stockholders are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor, officers and directors to the extent our sponsor, officers or directors purchase public shares, provided that each of their status as a public stockholder shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
| sponsor are to D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is affiliated with George J. Still, Jr., David W. Dorman, G. Douglas Dillard, Jr., and DBO Partners Acquisition LLC, or DBO Acquisition; |
1
| Stillwater are to our company; |
| warrants are to our warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and the private placement warrants; and |
| we, us or our are to our company, or, where applicable, members of our management team. |
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.
General
Stillwater Growth Corp. I is a newly organized blank check company incorporated in Delaware for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination.
We believe we have assembled a highly differentiated team including our sponsor, board of directors, AAC and management team, which brings senior operating executive experience, deal flow, transaction execution expertise, investing experience, governance, and access to additional capital. The team includes past and current CEOs of Acuity Brands, AT&T, IBM, Silicon Graphics, Walmart Global eCommerce, and Workday; past and current CEOs and senior partners of investment firms including Coatue Management, Franklin Templeton Investments, Norwest Ventures, Redpoint Partners, Silver Lake Partners, Standard Pacific Capital, and Temasek; past and current board members of numerous technology leaders; and current bankers and lawyers with extensive transaction and governance expertise.
Collectively, our team has extensive networks to help us source and evaluate attractive, high-growth technology or technology-enabled companies. Our team provides broad based expertise with technology companies spanning early-stage growth startups through large, multi-national industry leaders and a track record of investment success. We believe our team offers potential deal flow, operating experience and global networks, investment expertise spanning public and private markets, capital access, M&A and governance experience. Combined with DBO Partners technology investment banking practice, we believe this expertise and resource infrastructure provides us a competitive advantage as we source, diligence and negotiate a business combination. Certain members of our team may invest directly in any private investment in public entity (PIPE) transaction associated with a merger as a vote of such confidence. In addition, certain members of our team may remain engaged with our business target post-combination in a governance or advisory capacity. Amidst an increasingly competitive market for attractive business combinations, we believe our teams experience and network may make us an attractive partner for a potential business combination.
Sponsor
The sponsor is primarily responsible for forming and funding our company. Thereafter, the sponsor, together with management, will be responsible for originating investment opportunities, evaluating the investment pipeline and executing acquisition and financing transactions. Members of our sponsor have significant deal sourcing, management and transaction execution experience:
| G. Douglas Dillard, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Standard Pacific Capital. |
| David W. Dorman: Former CEO of AT&T, current Chairman of CVS Health. |
2
| George J. Still, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Norwest Ventures, current Vice-Chairman of Workday. |
| DBO Acquisition: a subsidiary of DBO Partners Holdings LLC, the parent company of DBO Partners, a technology focused boutique investment bank. |
Board of Directors
The board of directors will be responsible for representing the interests of our stockholders prior to a business combination. We expect that the board of directors will evaluate and potentially approve a business combination, if one occurs. The sponsor and management may request greater involvement of the directors where their skills and experience will enhance the investment process and the long-term value creation opportunity. Members of our board of directors have significant legal, corporate governance, operating and deal execution capabilities.
| George J. Still, Jr. (Chairman): Former Co-Managing Partner of Norwest Ventures, current Vice-Chairman of Workday. |
| Steven Bochner: Current partner and former CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR). |
| Gordon Dean: Co-Founding partner of DBO Partners, former Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Investment Banking. |
| Jorge Titinger: Former CEO of Silicon Graphics (SGI). |
| Heidi Ueberroth: President and Managing Partner of Globicon, current director of Electronic Arts and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. |
Acquisition Advisory Council
The AAC consists of individuals with significant experience growing, building, and operating and investing in technology businesses. In addition to origination activities, we expect the AAC will be consulted on potential business combination opportunities and the sponsor and management may request the participation of AAC members where their skills and experience will enhance investment process and the long-term value creation opportunity. Principals of DBO Partners affiliated with us initially identified the individuals selected to serve on the AAC.
| David W. Dorman (Chairman): Former CEO of AT&T, current Chairman of CVS Health. |
| Neil Ashe: Current CEO of Acuity Brands, former CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce and CNET. |
| Aneel Bhusri: CEO and Co-Founder of Workday. |
| G. Douglas Dillard, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Standard Pacific Capital. |
| Egon Durban: Co-CEO of Silver Lake Partners. |
| Promod Haque: Senior Managing Partner of Norwest Venture Partners. |
| Greg Johnson: Chairman and former CEO of Franklin Templeton Investments. |
3
| Thomas Laffont: Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Coatue Management. |
| John Marren: Senior Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Temasek, former Head of Technology for TPG Capital. |
| Nicholas Osborne: Co-Founding partner of DBO Partners, former Global Head of Technology M&A at Morgan Stanley. |
| Sam Palmisano: Director at Exxon Mobil Corporation and former CEO and Chairman of IBM. |
| George J. Still, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Norwest Ventures, current Vice-Chairman of Workday. |
| Geoffrey Y. Yang: Founding Partner and Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures. |
Management Team
Our management team is primarily responsible for managing our initial public offering. Thereafter, the management team will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the sponsor, board of directors, and AAC.
| Mark Bradley: Co-Founding partner of DBO Partners, former Global Head of Financial Sponsor Coverage for Morgan Stanley. |
| Bryant Williams: Managing Director of DBO Partners. |
Although we will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in our identification and acquisition of a target company, we believe the growth-oriented subsectors in the technology sector present particularly attractive investment opportunities. We have not selected any potential business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities.
Our Business Strategy
Our objective is to acquire a high-quality, growing business in the technology industry with a large total addressable market that can generate attractive, risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders. To that end, our acquisition and value creation strategy will leverage the Stillwater teams extensive network of CEOs, as well as prominent investors from the venture capital, private equity and hedge fund sectors who possess a broad and deep network of technology relationships. We believe this network will provide Stillwater with a potential advantage in sourcing as well as conducting diligence, valuation, negotiation and execution of a business combination.
In addition, the experience, track record and credibility of these operators and investors should make us attractive partners to the management and ownership of potential targets. After the initial business combination, it is our strategy to offer our teams operational expertise, industry knowledge and extensive global network of relationships to enhance the growth of this business.
We believe that this differentiated value proposition will afford us access to transaction opportunities. But even in competitive processes, we believe our operational and investing expertise will provide us with a potential competitive advantage.
4
Specifically, we believe the following factors will allow us to potentially identify and consummate a business combination:
| Significant Sourcing Capabilities in the Technology Sector: Stillwaters team and their global network of broad and deep relationships with CEOs, founders, venture investors and private equity sponsors provides us with an avenue for sourcing potential business combinations. |
| Expertise in Consummating Transactions: Stillwaters team includes founders, operators, investors, investment bankers, senior executives and investors who have executed many capital raising and M&A transactions in various technology sectors in various economic conditions. In addition, our bankers, lawyers, investors and operators have considerable experience in taking companies public, negotiating and consummating transactions, as well as in identifying potential synergies, overseeing business integrations, and advising company boards and executives on matters relating to public markets, corporate strategy, stockholder engagement, and ESG issues. |
| Operational and Investment Experience: Members of our team have significant experience creating and operating some of the worlds largest and most successful technology companies as well as leading some of the most successful technology-focused venture, private equity and hedge fund firms. Certain members of our team may remain engaged with our business target post-combination in a governance and advisory capacity. |
| Access to Capital: Certain members of our Acquisition Advisory Council are affiliated with organizations that are interested in potentially investing in a PIPE transaction. This source of additional capital should provide greater deal certainty in funding the initial business combination. |
Altogether, we believe that these factors should make us a preferred partner relative to other blank check companies.
Investment Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines to evaluate potential business combinations. Although we will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in our identification and acquisition of a target company, we believe the growth-oriented subsectors in the technology sector present particularly attractive investment opportunities. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target.
| Management team: We will seek to partner with a high quality management team that we believe can build and scale a successful business. |
| Corporate culture: We believe corporate culture is a competitive advantage. Embracing shared values of innovation, transparency, customer focus, and social responsibility in a purpose-driven company environment is fundamental to long term success. |
| Businesses that can benefit from our operational expertise: We will seek to partner with a business and management team that can benefit from the experience of our team in building, scaling, and financing companies that have grown to become global leaders. |
| Addressable market: Our focus will be on investing in a business that addresses a large market that creates the opportunity for attractive long-term growth prospects. |
5
| Business model: We will focus on companies that demonstrate the opportunity for customer success, attractive unit economics, effective go-to- market channels, recurring revenues, and growth opportunities with existing and new customers. The businesses we focus on may require additional investment to scale these opportunities. |
| Competitive advantage: We will focus on companies that have differentiated products and services based on modern and advanced technologies, including, but not restricted to, cloud computing, high performance computing, predictive data analytics, data science, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, automation mobility, high volume data, data-enabled engagement, social networking, and advanced manufacturing. |
| Benefit of being public: We will seek companies that we believe can benefit from being public, including access to liquid capital. |
| Appropriate valuation: We will invest with a focus on risk-adjusted returns for stockholders. |
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors, and criteria that our board of directors may deem relevant.
Our Initial Business Combination Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital planning experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, management, directors, AAC members, or DBO Partners clients, and may very well do so. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, management, directors, or DBO Partners, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that our initial business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view. Interested directors will also recuse themselves from any decision-making process with respect to such a transaction.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our common stock and/or warrants following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
Our sponsor and its affiliates, and our directors, management, and AAC members are from time to time made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
Members of our sponsor, management team, board of directors and ACC presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer, director, or AAC member is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our sponsor members, management team, or directors becomes aware of a
6
business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor these obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors may have to another entity will materially affect our ability to complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating any legal obligation. Our officers and directors would continue to be subject to all other fiduciary duties owed to us and our stockholders and no other waivers of their respective fiduciary obligations have been provided to any such officers and directors.
Our Sponsor, Board of Directors, Acquisition Advisory Council and Management Team
Our Sponsor
G. Douglas Dillard, Jr. is a member of our sponsor and has agreed to serve on our Acquisition Advisory Council. He is currently the Managing Partner of Slewgrass Capital, LLC. Slewgrass is a family office/investment firm focused on public equities and growth equity for technology companies. Mr. Dillard has personally made over 40 investments in private, growth companies over the last 20 years, primarily in the software, consumer, media, and financial technology sectors. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Acuity Brands, Foundation Windpower, Paravision.ai and Discourse.ai (Talkmap). He is also an advisor to several private technology companies.
Prior to founding Slewgrass in 2017, Mr. Dillard was the Co-Managing Partner of Standard Pacific Capital, a Global Long/Short Equity hedge fund. He joined Standard Pacific in 1998 as a Principal, responsible for the Firms investments in software/services, fintech, and emerging markets. Mr. Dillard served as Managing Partner and Co-Portfolio Manager of the Global Fund from 2005-2015 and of the Global Concentrated Fund from 2014-2016.
Mr. Dillard started his career in Morgan Stanleys Investment Banking division as an analyst in the Real Estate and Capital Market Groups in New York and Hong Kong. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He served on Georgetown Universitys Board of Regents from 2010-2016 and was an adjunct professor of finance at Georgetowns McDonough School of Business from 2017-2018. He is also the Chairman emeritus of St. Marys Medical Center Foundation Board.
David W. Dorman is a member of our sponsor and has agreed to serve as chairman of our Acquisition Advisory Council. He also currently serves on the board of various companies, including Chairman of the Board of CVS Health, since May 2011, board member at PayPal (previously eBay), board member at Dell Technologies, and board member at various other private companies. He is a Founding Partner of Centerview Capital Technology Fund, a private investment firm, established in July 2013, where he has made a number of investments in a variety of technology industries including cybersecurity and data operations and orchestration. Mr. Dorman also served as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Motorola, Inc. from May 2008 leading up to the separation of its Mobile Devices business in January 2011. He then served as Chairman of Motorola Solutions until his retirement from the board in 2015.
Prior to Centerview, Mr. Dorman was a Managing Director and Senior Advisor with Warburg Pincus, a global leader in private equity, from October 2006 to April 2008. Mr. Dorman was also Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of AT&T Corp from November 2002 until November 2006. Prior to that role, he
7
was President of AT&T from 2000 to 2002. Mr. Dorman also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Pacific Bell in June 1994 until Pacific Bells acquisition by SBC Communications.
Additionally, Mr. Dorman was a board member at Yum! Brands for 14 years. He also served on the Georgia Tech Foundation board of trustees for 12 years, and on the Presidents Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) appointed by President Clinton in 1997 and reappointed by President Bush in 2001. Mr. Dorman received a B.S. degree in Industrial Management with high honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
George J. Still, Jr. is a member of our sponsor, member of our Acquisition Advisory Council, and has agreed to serve as chairman of our board of directors. He is currently lead independent director and Vice-Chairman of Workday, Inc., having joined the board in 2009. Mr. Still is also a member of the board of directors of various private companies, including Inxeption, Inc and Brightplan LLC. In addition, he manages Still Capital Partners, which he founded in 2014.
Prior to Still Capital Partners, Mr. Still was Co-Managing Partner of six private equity and venture capital funds at Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) until his retirement as Partner Emeritus in 2014. Mr. Still joined Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) in 1989 and became Co-Managing Partner in 1994. While at NVP, Mr. Still was also lead investor and a member of the board of directors of several private and public companies including Rackspace Inc., PeopleSoft Inc., Verio Inc., and Web.com Inc.
Prior to NVP, Mr. Still was a partner at Centennial Ventures. In addition, he previously worked for Ernst & Young. He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the National Venture Capital Association. Mr. Still received a Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College, where he has served on the board of advisors as well as Tucks Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital. Mr. Still brings to the board of directors financial and investing acumen through his many years at NVP and Still Capital Partners. His service as an advisor to technology companies provides a valuable resource for our board of directors.
From 2014 to 2017, he was a member of the executive committee and an officer of the United States Golf Association.
DBO Acquisition is a subsidiary and affiliate of DBO Partners Holdings LLC, the parent company of DBO Partners, a premier, Silicon Valley-based boutique investment bank founded in 2012 by Gordon Dean, Mark Bradley, and Nicholas Osborne, three Morgan Stanley professionals with over 30 years of investment banking experience apiece. DBO Partners advises corporate leaders on their most important strategic and financial transactions. The firm offers expertise across a broad range of investment banking advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, debt & equity capital raising, stockholder relations, financing, and General Partner advisory services.
DBO Partners maintains a robust network of existing, former, and prospective clients across a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on the technology sectors where DBO Partners has deep insights and expertise, including enterprise software, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and engineering services. DBO Partners has executed some of the largest and most complex transactions for leading global companies and private equity firms. DBO Partners employs approximately 25 professionals who will not be our employees, but we expect to utilize them to source and evaluate our initial business combination.
Our Board of Directors
Mr. George J. Still, Jr. and Mr. Gordon Dean of DBO Partners serve on our board of directors as representatives of our sponsor. They will be joined by three independent director nominees, Mr. Steven Bochner,
8
Mr. Jorge Titinger, and Ms. Heidi Ueberroth, each of whom have extensive experience in business and financial matters.
Steven Bochner has agreed to serve as an independent director of our board of directors. He is currently a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR), a leading law firm serving the technology and life sciences industries. From 2009-2012 Mr. Bochner served as Chief Executive Officer of WSGR and is currently a member of the firms Board of Directors. In his more than 39 years of experience practicing corporate and securities law, Mr. Bochner has served as lead counsel for many of Silicon Valleys most prominent companies, assisting them in venture capital, public offering, and merger transactions valued in the billions of dollars.
From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Bochner was a lecturer on corporate and securities law at the UC Berkeley School of Law, where he designed and taught the Venture Capital and IPO Law course. From 2012 to 2018, Mr. Bochner served two terms on the Federal Reserve Bank of San Franciscos board of directors. Mr. Bochner has also served on multiple advisory boards, including as Chair of the executive committee of the Northwestern Securities Regulation Institute from 2015-2017, as Chair of the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council, where he served as a member, from 1996-2011, and as a member of the Securities and Exchange Commissions advisory committee on smaller public companies from 2005-2006. Mr. Bochner currently serves on the board of directors of KQED and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. Mr. Bochner received a B.S. in Political Science at San Jose State University in 1977 and his J.D. at UC Berkeley School of Law in 1981.
Gordon Dean serves as a member of our board of directors. He is a founding partner of DBO Partners. He began his professional career as a securities lawyer in Washington DC focusing on the IPOs of financial institutions. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1986 where he rose to become a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Investment Banking. He ran the San Francisco Investment Banking operations and was co-head of the firms Western Region.
Mr. Dean has served on a variety of boards, including the Georgetown University Board of Regents as well as the boards of Engineering Change, KnowledgeBeat, the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Zoological Society, where he was Chairman.
Mr. Dean earned an A.B. in Economics from Georgetown University, an M.B.A. from Yale University School of Management, and a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was a Patrick Wilson Scholar.
Jorge Titinger has agreed to serve as an independent member of our board of directors. Mr. Titinger is the founder and principal of Titinger Consulting, a private consulting and advisory services firm focused on providing strategy, corporate transformation, and culture advice to its clients. Mr. Titinger served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of Silicon Graphics International (SGI) from February 2012 until November 2016, when SGI was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Previous to SGI, from June 2008 to July 2011, Mr. Titinger held several executive positions at Verigy Ltd., a company in the semiconductor automated test equipment industry, culminating as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the board. Verigy was acquired by Advantest in 2011. Prior to Verigy, Mr. Titinger was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Product Business Groups at Form Factor, Inc., a company in the probe card technology business, from November 2007 to June 2008. Mr. Titinger previously held executive and general management positions at KLA-Tencor Corporation and Applied Materials, Inc., both companies in the semiconductor equipment industry, MIPS Computer Systems, Inc., a company in the graphics computing industry, and Hewlett Packard Company.
Mr. Titinger served as a director of Xcerra Corporation, a provider of semiconductor and electronics test products and services from 2012 until it was acquired by Cohu, Inc. in 2018. Mr. Titinger currently serves as a director of Cohu, Inc., a supplier of semiconductor test and inspection equipment, a position he has held since October 2017; CalAmp Corp., a provider of mobile resource management telematics systems, software and
9
subscription services for the Internet of Things market, a position he has held since June 2015; and as a director of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., a provider of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, a position he has held since August of 2019. Mr. Titinger serves on the Board of private and non-profit companies, including the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center and Reno Sub-Systems.
Mr. Titinger holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering Management, all from Stanford University.
Heidi Ueberroth has agreed to serve as an independent member of our board of directors. Ms. Ueberroth is the President and Managing Partner of Globicon, a private investment and advisory firm focused on the media, sports, entertainment and hospitality industries. Ms. Ueberroth is also Co-Chairman of the Pebble Beach Company which owns and operates Pebble Beach Resorts. Ms. Ueberroth serves on the board of directors of Electronic Arts and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a director of several non-profit organizations including the national board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the First Tee, the Ueberroth Family Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
Ms. Ueberroth has over 30 years of global operational and management expertise. From 1994 to 2013 Ms. Ueberroth served in multiple positions at the National Basketball Association overseeing the leagues international expansion, including as President, NBA International, as President of Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations, and as a member of the board of directors of NBA China, LLC. Prior to the NBA, Ms. Ueberroth held positions with ESPN and Ohlmeyer Communications Company, a global TV production and sports marketing company.
She holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and serves on its Arts and Science Board of Advisors.
Our Acquisition Advisory Council
Stillwater maintains an Acquisition Advisory Council comprised of highly experienced and successful CEOs and investors, especially in the technology sector. We believe this advisory group will be useful in the sourcing of potential business combinations and will provide unique perspective given their backgrounds to aid in our diligence and negotiating efforts. In addition, certain members may elect to remain involved with our business combination target as a director or advisor, which we believe will be attractive to potential targets. Principals of DBO Partners affiliated with us initially identified the individuals selected to serve on the AAC.
Mr. David W. Dorman has agreed to serve as chairman of the AAC. He is joined by Mr. Neil Ashe, Mr. Aneel Bhusri, Mr. Doug Dillard, Mr. Egon Durban, Mr. Promod Haque, Mr. Greg Johnson, Mr. Thomas Laffont, Mr. John Marren, Mr. Nicholas Osborne, Mr. Sam Palmisano, Mr. George J. Still, Jr. and Mr. Geoffrey Y. Yang.
Neil Ashe is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Ashe is the CEO of Acuity Brands, a global technology manufacturer, and Principal of Faster Horses, a family office that invests in, operates and advises companies.
Prior to Acuity Brands and Faster Horses, Mr. Ashe was the President and CEO of Walmarts Global eCommerce & Technology Division from 2012-2017, where he helped triple the size of its eCommerce business. Prior to Walmart, Mr. Ashe was a member of the Board of Directors of AMC Networks from 2011-2014. Prior to that, he was the President of CBS Interactive from 2008-2011. He was also the CEO and member of the Board of Directors of CNET Networks from 2006-2008, Executive Vice President from 2006-2008, and Senior Vice President of Strategy & Development from 2002-2005. Mr. Ashe started his career as an Associate at Smith Barney Inc.
10
Mr. Ashe holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Aneel Bhusri is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Bhusri has been CEO and Co-Founder of Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance, HR and planning, since 2005.
Mr. Bhusri is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Board of Trustees of Stanford University, and an Advisory Partner of Greylock Partners, where he was a General Partner from 1999-2012. He also previously served on the Board of Directors of Intel Corporation from 2014-2019. Prior to these roles, Mr. Bhusri was a Senior Vice President of PeopleSoft from 1993-1999. He started his career at Morgan Stanley as a Corporate Finance Analyst.
Mr. Bhusri holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Egon Durban is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Durban joined Silver Lake in 1999 as a founding principal and is Co-CEO. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Endeavor Group Holdings. He also serves on the board of directors of City Football Group, Dell Technologies, Learfield IMG College, Motorola Solutions, Qualtrics, Twitter, UFC, Unity Software, Verily, VMware and Waymo. Previously, he served on the board of Pivotal Software, SecureWorks, Skype, and was Chairman of its operating committee, served on the supervisory board and operating committee of NXP, and on the board of MultiPlan. Mr. Durban currently serves on the Business Council and Business Roundtable. Prior to Silver Lake, he worked in Morgan Stanleys Investment Banking Division.
Mr. Durban graduated from Georgetown University with a B.S.B.A. in Finance.
Promod Haque is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Haque is a Senior Managing Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, a leading venture capital and growth equity firm where he has served since 1990. In 2014 and 2016, Forbes recognized Mr. Haque as a Hall of Fame investor. He was also recognized on the annual Forbes list in 2017 and 2004, when he was ranked the top venture capitalist based on performance over the previous decade. In 2006, Mr. Haque was presented with a Global Leadership award from NASSCOM, and he was honored with the 2011 SV Forum Visionary Award based on his achievements and contributions to the technology industry.
Mr. Haque currently serves on the board of directors of Copper, SlashNext Inc., ZineOne, Simpplr Inc., Cognitive Scale, Dtex Systems, and Prevedere Inc. He previously served on the board of directors of Health Catalyst, Shape Security, CareCloud, Sulekha.com, Yatra Online, Apigee, Palerra, Cyan Inc., FireEye, Skybox Imaging, Veveo, InsightsOne, Virtela Communications, Persistent Systems, AmberPoint, Cast Iron Systems, Open-Silicon, Yipes Enterprise Services, Extreme Networks, SPSS, Arbortext, Winphoria Networks, Redback Networks, Zettacom, Resonext Corporation, Escalate, OnDisplay Inc., Primus Communications, Transaction Systems Architects, Kiva Software, Corsair Communications, Information Advantage, Showcase Corporation, Cerent Corporation, Siara Systems, Prism Solutions Inc., Raster Graphics, Forte Software, NVE Corporation, PCH International, Brite Semiconductor, Appnomic Systems, and Tivoli Systems.
Prior to his role as Senior Managing Partner of Norwest Venture Partners, Mr. Haque served as CEO of Dimensional Medicine Inc. from 1983-1988, VP of Omnimedical Systems from 1982-1983, and a Director of EMI Medical Inc. He started his career at Siemens as a Sales Engineer from 1969-1972.
Mr. Haque holds a B.S.E.E. in Electrical Engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering, and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University.
11
Greg Johnson is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Johnson has been the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Franklin Templeton Investments, a global leader in asset management, since 2020. He previously served as CEO beginning in 2004 and President from 1999-2015.
Mr. Johnson currently serves or has previously served on the board of directors of Fiduciary Trust Co, Darby Overseas Investments, Command Audio Corp, San Francisco Symphony Inc., Jumpstart, Investment Company Institute, Mutual Fund Forum, and Securities Industry Association. He also previously served as President of the San Francisco Bond Club. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments in 1986, Mr. Johnson worked as a senior accountant for Coopers & Lybrand.
Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelors Degree from Washington & Lee University.
Thomas Laffont is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Laffont has been a Co-Founder of Coatue Management, a global technology-focused investment firm, since 2003. He is responsible for launching and leading the firms private investments across both early stage and growth platforms.
Mr. Laffont holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from Yale University.
John Marren is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Marren is a Senior Managing Director and Vice Chairman at Temasek, a global investment firm with portfolio value of $230Bn, where he has served since 2017. Mr. Marren currently serves on the boards of directors of Poshmark, Inc., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Impossible Foods Inc., Neural Propulsion Systems Inc., U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation and University of California, Santa Barbara. Previously, Mr. Marren has served on the boards of directors of Vertafore Inc., Aptina LLC, Avaya Inc., Sierra Holdings Corp., Freescale Semiconductor Ltd., FIS Data Systems Inc., Conexant Systems LLC, ON Semiconductor Corp., GlobespanVirata Inc., Isola Group SARL, ON Semiconductor Connectivity Solutions Inc., SMART Worldwide Holdings Inc., and SunEdison Inc.
Prior to Temasek, Mr. Marren was the former Head of Technology at TPG Capital, where he worked from 2000-2016. Prior to TPG Capital, Mr. Marren was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where he served as Co-Head of the Technology Investment Banking Group from 1996-2000. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Marren was a Managing Director and Senior Semiconductor Research Analyst at Alex Brown & Sons. Prior to Alex Brown, Mr. Marren spent eight years in the semiconductor industry, working for VLSI Technology and Vitesse Semiconductor.
Mr. Marren holds a B.S.E.E. in Engineering from UC Santa Barbara.
Nicholas Osborne is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. He is a founding partner of DBO Partners. Mr. Osbornes banking career spans over 30 years. Prior to co-founding DBO Partners, he was a Managing Director and Head of Global Technology Mergers & Acquisitions at Morgan Stanley. In this role he was responsible for managing relationships and advising on M&A transactions for leading global technology companies including Advanced Micro Devices, Applied Materials, Arcsight, Atmel, CNET, Electronic Arts, Ingram Micro, Intuit, Oracle, Qlogic, Rightnow, Sandisk, and Zappos. He has extensive experience representing both buyers and sellers, structuring and negotiating significant JVs and advising on activist and hostile situations.
Prior to joining Morgan Stanleys Technology M&A Group in 1996, Mr. Osborne worked in the Financial Sponsor Group at Morgan Stanley and the High Yield Finance Group at First Boston. Prior to attending business school, he completed the management program and was corporate finance officer at JP Morgan.
Mr. Osborne is a graduate of Williams College with a B.A. in Economics and of the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College with an M.B.A.
12
Sam Palmisano is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Palmisano is a director at Exxon Mobil Corporation and the former CEO and Chairman of the IBM Corporation, where he worked from 1973-2012 and was appointed CEO in 2002.
Mr. Palmisano held a variety of roles at IBM including COO, Senior Vice President and Group Executive for IBMs Enterprise Systems Group, Senior Vice President and Group Executive for IBMs Personal Systems Group, and Managing Director for the Personal Computer Company, and Senior Managing Director of Operations for IBM Japan. Mr. Palmisano was also President and CEO of Integrated Systems Solutions Corp. (ISSC) from 1993-1996.
Mr. Palmisano is currently the Chairman of the Center for Global Enterprise.
Mr. Palmisano holds a Bachelors Degree from The Johns Hopkins University.
Geoffrey Y. Yang is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Yang has served as a founding partner and Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures (a global private equity and venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California) since 1999. Mr. Yang also serves as CEO and founder of Performance Health Sciences (d/b/a Apeiron Life), located in Menlo Park, California. Prior to founding Redpoint, Mr. Yang previously served as a General Partner with Institutional Venture Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California, which he joined in 1987. Mr. Yang has over 35 years of experience in the venture capital industry and has helped found or served on the boards of a variety of consumer media, internet, and infrastructure companies. Mr. Yang also has served on the boards of directors of AT&T since June 2016, Franklin Resources (Franklin Templeton) since March 2011, and Liberty Media Acquisition Corp since January 2021.
Mr. Yang holds a B.S.E. in engineering from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Our Management Team
Mark Bradley serves as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bradley is a founding partner of DBO Partners. He started his career with Morgan Stanley in 1985 after graduating from The University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration. He worked for two years as an analyst in the Firms Mergers & Acquisitions department. From 1987 to 1989 he attended Stanford Business School where he earned his Masters in Business Administration. He returned to Morgan Stanley in 1989 as an associate in the Corporate Finance department. Mr. Bradley was the Global Head of Morgan Stanleys Financial Sponsors coverage group for eleven years before becoming Chairman of the Group in 2011.
Bryant Williams serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Williams is currently a Managing Director at DBO Partners. He joined DBO Partners as a founding member in 2012. He focuses on M&A and private placement transactions across all industries, with an emphasis on technology. He started his career at Morgan Stanley in the Financial Sponsors Group focusing on M&A and corporate finance advisory services for Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies.
Mr. Williams received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Initial Business Combination
Our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the
13
time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, 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 our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. 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 or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In such cases, 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 by us is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Prior to the date of effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying
14
with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to emerging growth company shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a smaller reporting company as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter.
Our executive offices are located at 1409 Chapin Ave. 2nd Floor, Burlingame, CA 94010, and our telephone number is (415) 367-6000. Our website address is www.stillwatergrowth.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
15
In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, board of directors, and Acquisition Advisory Council, 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 in this prospectus.
Securities offered |
20,000,000 units (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of: |
| one share of Class A common stock; and |
| one-third of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock. |
Proposed Nasdaq symbols |
Units: SWGCU |
Class A Common Stock: SWGC |
Warrants: SWGCW |
Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants |
The units will begin trading promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BofA Securities informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. |
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination. |
16
Separate trading of the Class A common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K |
In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of the company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly, and no later than four business days, after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option. |
Units:
Number outstanding before this offering |
0 |
Number outstanding after this offering |
20,000,000(1) |
Common stock:
Number outstanding before this offering |
5,750,000(2)(4) |
Number outstanding after this offering |
25,000,000(1)(3)(4) |
Warrants:
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering |
3,933,333(1) |
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement |
10,600,000(1) |
1 | Assumes no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our initial stockholders of 750,000 founder shares. |
2 | Consists solely of founder shares, and includes up to 750,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. |
3 | Includes 20,000,000 public shares and 5,000,000 founder shares. |
4 | Founder shares are classified as shares of Class B common stock, which shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights. |
17
Exercisability |
Each whole warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We structured each unit to contain one-third of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination as compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive partner for target businesses. |
Exercise price |
$11.50 per whole share of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as described herein. |
In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the newly issued price), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the market value) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the market value and the newly issued price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below adjacent to Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders WarrantsRedemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the market value and the newly issued price. |
Exercise period |
The warrants will become exercisable on the date that is 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from |
18
registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). |
We are registering the issuance of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act, however, such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed; provided that, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a covered security under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement. |
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account. |
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 |
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants): |
| in whole and not in part; |
| at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| upon a minimum of 30 days prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and |
19
| if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities as described above) for any 10 trading days within a 20-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise 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 determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the fair market value (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The fair market value shall mean the volume-weighted average price of the Class A 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 the warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. Please see the section entitled Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders Warrants for additional information. |
Founder shares |
On February 22, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs in exchange for 8,625,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. On April 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of the three independent director nominees. On March 21, 2022, our sponsor forfeited to us 2,875,000 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate outstanding |
20
amount of 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised). Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Our initial stockholders will collectively own 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Up to 750,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. |
The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: |
| the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; |
| our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to: (1) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (2) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an Extension Period) (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we submit our |
21
initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to such letter agreement, to vote their founder shares and any public shares they hold in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 1,250,001 or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination in order to have such initial business combination approved. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them; |
| the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; |
| the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; and |
| the holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination, and such rights may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. |
Transfer restrictions on founder shares |
Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; or (B) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under Principal StockholdersTransfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last reported sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. |
22
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights |
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to increase in respect of the issuance of certain securities, as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities (as described herein), are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amount issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the aggregate number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or director. |
Election of Directors; Voting Rights |
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law or the applicable rules of Nasdaq then in effect, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. |
Private placement warrants |
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 private placement warrants (or |
23
4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($5,900,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Certain of the proceeds of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Our sponsor, as well as its permitted transferees, have the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. |
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants |
The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described herein under Principal StockholdersTransfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants). Certain of our officers, directors and certain Acquisition Advisory Council members are owners of our sponsor and, accordingly, will indirectly be subject to the above transfer restrictions. |
Proceeds to be held in trust account |
Nasdaq listing rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200,000,000 ($10.00 per unit), or $230,000,000 ($10.00 per unit) if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full (including $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2,900,000 will be used to pay expenses in connection with this offering and for working capital following this offering. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. |
24
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise and income tax obligations, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with such an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to such funds in connection with any other applicable amendment to our certificate of incorporation and a subsequent business combination to the extent they are then stockholders. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders. |
Anticipated expenses and funding sources |
Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes and |
expenses related to the administration of the trust account, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes or to redeem our public shares in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as described above. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $200,000 of interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 0.10% per year) however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount, particularly if the interest rates of U.S. Government Treasury obligations become negative. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from:
| the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be |
25
approximately $1,750,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,150,000 in expenses relating to this offering and the reimbursement from the underwriters of $1,000,000; |
| with respect to our taxes, any interest earned from the trust account; and |
| any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to loan funds to, or invest in, us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account. If we complete our initial business combination, we expect to repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. Up to $1,500,000 of all loans made to us may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to the initial stockholders. |
Conditions to completing our initial business combination |
There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. |
If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is |
26
what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test; provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. |
Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates |
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see Proposed BusinessPermitted Purchases of Our Securities for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire securities. There is no limit on the number of shares such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will have an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information, except pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan; and (2) clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary. |
We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the |
27
purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will be restricted from making any purchases if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. |
We would expect any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination. See Proposed BusinessPermitted Purchases of Our Securities for a description of how our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction. |
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public float of our shares of Class A common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. |
Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem |
28
its shares. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them. |
Manner of conducting redemptions |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. |
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation: |
| conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
| file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we |
29
and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act. |
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001, either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination. |
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will: |
| conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
| file proxy materials with the SEC. |
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NASDAQ listing or Exchange Act registration. |
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, |
30
our initial stockholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon. Our directors and officers also have agreed to vote in favor of our initial business combination with respect to public shares acquired by them, if any. These voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting, and if it does vote, irrespective of whether it votes for or against the proposed transaction. |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination. |
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights |
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in street name, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Companys DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders option, rather than simply voting |
31
against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. |
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold stockholder vote |
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holders shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. |
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation |
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain charter provisions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity |
32
(including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock who attend and vote in a stockholder meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock. The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation related to the right to vote on the election of directors or to remove a member of our board of directors, in each case prior to our initial business combination, may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that it may be amended by holders of a majority of our common stock, subject to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them. |
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination |
On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be disbursed by the trustee or released to |
33
us to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights as described below under Proposed BusinessRedemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination, to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. |
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will have 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 24-month period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period. |
Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares after |
34
this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame (including any Extension Period) and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. |
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 (a) in the case of our initial business combination, either prior to or upon consummation of such initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission or (b) in the case of an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, upon such amendment (in each case so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules). If this optional redemption right is being exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible requirement (described above) we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares. |
Limited payments to insiders |
There will be no finders fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the |
35
following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination: |
| repayment of an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| payments to our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support; |
| reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to our formation and initial public offering and identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and |
| repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. |
These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith. |
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates. |
Audit committee |
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled ManagementCommittees of the Board of DirectorsAudit Committee. |
Conflicts of interest |
Certain of our officers, directors, and Acquisition Advisory Council members presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer, director, or Acquisition Advisory |
36
Council member is or will be required to present business combination opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, in the future, if any of our officers, directors, or Acquisition Advisory Council members become aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers arising in the future would materially undermine our ability to complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as an officer, director, or Acquisition Advisory Council member of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue. |
Indemnity |
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsors only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. |
Risks
We are a newly incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional
37
information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see Proposed BusinessComparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled Risk Factors in this prospectus including, but not limited to, the following:
| We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. |
| Past performance by DBO Partners, our management team, members of our board of directors, and our Acquisition Advisory Council may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us. |
| Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination. |
| If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote. |
| Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination. |
| The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target. |
| The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure. |
| The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock. |
| The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders. |
| Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak or any future pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets. |
| We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
38
| If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public float of our Class A common stock. |
| If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed. |
| If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a group of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock. |
| Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their stock, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
| If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. |
Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
December 31, 2021 |
||||||||
Actual |
As Adjusted |
|||||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
||||||||
Total assets |
$ | 687,575 | $ | 201,736,694 | ||||
Total liabilities |
$ | 700,881 | $ | 7,120,000 | ||||
Value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption |
$ | | $ | 200,000,000 | ||||
Stockholders deficit |
$ | (13,306 | ) | $ | (5,383,306 | ) |
The as adjusted information gives effect to the issuance of the units we are offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, 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.
The as adjusted total assets includes $200,000,000 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 a business combination within the time period described in this prospectus, plus $1,750,000 of cash held outside the trust account. If a business combination is not so consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw from interest earned on the funds in the trust account as described in this prospectus, will be distributed
39
solely to our public stockholders (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors). The amount does not include $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions.
The as adjusted total liabilities amount includes $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions and over-allotment option liability of $120,000, assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised.
We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
If our initial business combination is not completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month time period or during any Extension Period.
40
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
Some statements contained in this prospectus are forward-looking in nature. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management teams expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words anticipate, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, intends, may, might, plan, possible, potential, predict, project, should, would and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
| our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
| our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
| our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses; |
| our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
| our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
| our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
| our pool of prospective target businesses, including the location and industry of such target businesses; |
| our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic; |
| the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
| our public securities potential liquidity and trading; |
| the lack of a market for our securities; |
| the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
| the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or |
| our financial performance following this offering. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading Risk Factors. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
41
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to Searching for and Consummating a Business Combination
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see the section entitled Proposed BusinessStockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination for additional information.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Our initial stockholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 1,250,001, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination in order to have such initial business combination approved. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them. We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock at the time of any such stockholders vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholders approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholders approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
42
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of such business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Additionally, since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions, will be at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to not be at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission, or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, the per share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
43
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful increases. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of the time period described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target companys personnel, or if vendors and service providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust
44
account (net of taxes payable, expenses relating to the administration of the trust account, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less than $10.00 per share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. See If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share and other risk factors herein.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 outbreak or any future pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic. The outbreak has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, economies and financial markets worldwide, business operations and the conduct of commerce generally, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be, or may already have been, materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target companys personnel, vendors and service providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for and ability to consummate a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. While vaccines for COVID-19 are being, and have been developed, there is no guarantee that any such vaccine will be durable and effective consistent with current expectations and we expect it will take significant time before the vaccines are available and accepted on a significant scale. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19, any future pandemic or other events (such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters) continue for an extensive period of time, including as a result of protectionist sentiments or legislation in our target markets, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent and ongoing military action between Russia and Ukraine.
On February 24, 2022, Russian military forces launched a military action in Ukraine, and sustained conflict and disruption in the region is likely. Although the length, impact and outcome of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine is highly unpredictable, this conflict could lead to significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences as well as increase in cyberattacks and espionage. Russias recognition of two separatist republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and subsequent military action against Ukraine have led to an unprecedented expansion of sanction programs imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Japan and other countries against Russia, Belarus, the Crimea Region of Ukraine, the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic and the so-called Luhansk Peoples Republic.
45
The situation is rapidly evolving as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, and the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and other countries may implement additional sanctions, export controls or other measures against Russia, Belarus and other countries, regions, officials, individuals or industries in the respective territories. Such sanctions and other measures, as well as the existing and potential further responses from Russia or other countries to such sanctions, tensions and military actions, could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and could adversely affect our ability to search for a business combination or finance such business combination, and the business, financial condition and results of operations of any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination may be materially adversely affected.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public float of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Please see Proposed BusinessPermitted Purchases of Our Securities for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire shares or warrants. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such public stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling public stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted
46
to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. We would expect any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public float of our Class A common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in street name, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See Proposed BusinessTendering Stock Certificates In Connection With a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.
Although we have selected general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have selected general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business
47
without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete all appropriate due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions described herein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 80,000,000 and 15,000,000 (assuming in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of Class A and Class B common stock available, respectively, for issuance, which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants, shares issuable upon conversion of the shares of the Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock and may issue shares of preferred stock, in order to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions described herein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
| may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the founder shares resulted in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares; |
| may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
48
| could cause a change in control if a substantial number of common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
| may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and |
| may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target businesss management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the targets management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the targets management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination targets key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidates key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidates management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
49
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or AAC members which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or AAC members. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under ManagementConflicts of Interest. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers, directors, and AAC members are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in Proposed BusinessEffecting Our Initial Business Combination and Proposed BusinessSelection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our company and our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On February 22, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover for certain offering costs in exchange for 8,625,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. On April 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of the three independent director nominees. On March 21, 2022, our sponsor forfeited to us 2,875,000 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 founder shares. Up to 750,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders on a pro-rata basis depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 (or 4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable for one share of our Class A common stock, for a purchase price of $5,900,000 in the aggregate (or $6,350,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.50 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Each private placement warrant may be exercised for one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (2) our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to: (a) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (b) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from
50
the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (c) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); (3) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; (4) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; and (5) holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination. In addition, our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them.
The personal and financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for the completion of our initial business combination nears.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
| default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
| our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
| our inability to pay dividends on our common stock; |
| using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
51
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with up to $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (which includes $7,000,000, or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or |
| dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all, or that may not achieve the growth we project or anticipate.
52
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that some of our stockholders or warrant holders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike many blank check companies, if (x) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the market value) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the market value and the newly issued price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders WarrantsRedemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination and the newly issued price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum, and
53
will not apply to suits arising under any other federal securities laws, including suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall concurrently be the sole and exclusive forums. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a foreign action) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an enforcement action), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holders counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Managements plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled Managements Discussion and Analysis of
54
Financial Condition and Results of Operations. However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a no-shop provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from shopping around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. See If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share and other risk factors herein.
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 December 31, 2021, we had cash of approximately $26,000 and a working capital deficiency of approximately $675,000. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of an initial business combination. 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. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, we estimate only $1,750,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,150,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,150,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to loan funds to us in such circumstances. Any such loans may be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only
55
$10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share and other risk factors herein.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their stock, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there will be numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we are obligated to pay cash for shares of our Class A common stock, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. See If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share and other risk factors herein.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
56
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
| restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
| restrictions on the issuance of securities; |
| each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. |
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
| registration as an investment company with the SEC; |
| adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
| reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to. |
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to consummate our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
On March 30, 2022, the SEC issued proposed rules that would, among other items, impose additional disclosure requirements in initial public offerings by SPACs and business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies; amend the financial statement requirements applicable to business combination transactions involving such companies; update and expand guidance regarding the general use of projections in SEC filings, as well as when projections are disclosed in connection with proposed business combination transactions; increase the potential liability of certain participants in proposed business combination
57
transactions; and impact the extent to which SPACs could become subject to regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940. These rules, if adopted, whether in the form proposed or in revised form, may materially adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination and may increase the costs and time related thereto.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating target businesses in a particular industry, sector or geography, nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target businesss operations.
We may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry, sector or geography, but we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target businesss operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such initial business combination.
We may face risks related to companies in the technology industries.
Business combinations with companies in the technology industries entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:
| an inability to compete effectively in a highly competitive environment with many incumbents having substantially greater resources; |
58
| an inability to manage rapid change, increasing consumer expectations and growth; |
| an inability to build strong brand identity and improve subscriber or customer satisfaction and loyalty; |
| a reliance on proprietary technology to provide services and to manage our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively, or our failure to use such technology effectively; |
| an inability to deal with our subscribers or customers privacy concerns; |
| an inability to attract and retain subscribers or customers; |
| an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend; |
| any significant disruption in our computer systems or those of third parties that we would utilize in our operations; |
| an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license content to us upon acceptable terms; |
| potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute; |
| competition for advertising revenue; |
| competition for the leisure and entertainment time and discretionary spending of subscribers or customers, which may intensify in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior; |
| disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of computer viruses, cyberattacks, misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, accidental releases of information or similar events; |
| an inability to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support; and |
| reliance on third-party vendors or service providers. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to the technology industries. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.
Risks Related to Our Securities
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We intend to have our units listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A common stock and warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation of the units. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet the minimum initial listing standards set forth in Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum of
59
300 round lot holders. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaqs initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaqs continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our stockholders equity would generally be required to be at least $5,000,000. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| a determination that our Class A common stock is a penny stock which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as covered securities. Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a blank check company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants 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 in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of our initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see Proposed BusinessComparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.
60
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with such an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with any other applicable amendment to our certificate of incorporation and a subsequent business combination to the extent they are then stockholders. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 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. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures.
Because we do not intend to comply with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, consultants, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholders pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date.
61
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first year end following our listing on Nasdaq. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a companys bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL. Additionally, only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination, and such rights may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock.
If the issuance of the Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of the warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless.
While we have registered the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act as part of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we do not plan on keeping a prospectus current until required to do so pursuant to the warrant agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, to use our commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination have declared effective, a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the redemption or expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the issuance of the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a covered security under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the
62
shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and may expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the warrants included as part of units sold in this offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the common stock underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying common stock. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, at or after the time of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares after those shares convert to shares of our Class A common stock. In addition, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants.
We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to complete. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the common stock owned by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants owned by our sponsor or warrants issued in connection with working capital loans are registered for resale.
Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a companys pre-business combination activity, without approval by holders of a certain percentage of the companys stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by holders holding between 90% and 100% of the companys public shares. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock who attend and vote in a stockholder meeting, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. Additionally, only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination, and such rights may
63
only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that it may be amended by holders of a majority of our common stock, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you do not agree.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our public stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our public stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own 20% of our outstanding common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of our Class B common stock.
Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If our initial stockholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of Class A common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Our sponsor has no current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as described in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our staggered board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will control the outcome, as only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
64
Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A common stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 110.8% (or $11.08 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book deficit per share of $(1.08) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the warrants could be converted into cash or stock, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities as described above) for any 10 trading days within a 20 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders and provided that certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to: (1) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so; (2) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants; or (3) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption,
65
we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as described below under Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders WarrantsRedemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 6,666,667 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 7,666,667 shares of our Class A common stock if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $11.50 per whole share, as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 3,933,333 (or 4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our initial stockholders currently hold 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised). The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees: (1) they will not be redeemable by us; (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; (3) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (4) they (including the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights. The private placement warrants will not vote on any amendments to the warrant agreement discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.
Because each unit contains one-third of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-third of one redeemable warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole warrants will trade. This is
66
different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of Class A common stock and one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for a third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the representative of the underwriters with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:
| the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies; |
| prior offerings of those companies; |
| our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values; |
| a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions; |
| our capital structure; |
| an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; |
| general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and |
| other factors as were deemed relevant. |
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
67
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a group of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third partys engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. The underwriters of this offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective
68
target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsors only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The net proceeds of this offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants will be held in the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in direct U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we are permitted to use for payment of our tax obligations, and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses) would be reduced. In the event that we have not completed our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $200,000,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that 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 some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
69
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition 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. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per share amount that would otherwise be received by our public stockholders in connection with our liquidation would be reduced.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we will only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, will be at least $5,000,001 (a) in the case of our initial business combination, either prior to or upon consummation of such initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission or (b) in the case of an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, upon such amendment (in each case such that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market
70
value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a smaller reporting company as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
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.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company or our companys directors, officers or other employees.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf
71
of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our company to our company or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director or officer of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (a) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (b) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (c) arising under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall concurrently be the sole and exclusive forums. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a foreign action) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an enforcement action), and (y) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholders counsel in the foreign action as agent for such stockholder.
We believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law by chancellors particularly experienced in resolving corporate disputes and in the application of the Securities Act by federal judges, as applicable, efficient administration of cases on a more expedited schedule relative to other forums and protection against the burdens of multi-forum litigation. This choice-of-forum provision may make it more costly for a stockholder to bring a claim, and it may also limit a stockholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Risks Related to Our Sponsor, Management, Directors and Employees
Past performance by DBO Partners, our sponsor, our management team, members of our board of directors, and our AAC members may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, DBO Partners, our sponsor, our management team, our board of directors, and our Acquisition Advisory Council is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance of DBO Partners, our sponsor, our management team, our board of directors, and our AAC members and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of DBO Partners, our sponsors, our management teams, our board of directors, and our AACs or their respective affiliates performance as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
72
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our managements area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our managements area of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our managements expertise, our managements expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our managements expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors, and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our directors and executive officers have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if: (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our directors and executive officers may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors and executive officers for breach of their fiduciary duties. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our directors and executive 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 our directors and executive officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We are dependent upon our directors and officers and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and in particular our senior management. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our directors and officers, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our directors and officers are not required
73
to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. Moreover, certain of our directors and officers have time and attention requirements for investment funds of which affiliates of our sponsor are the investment managers. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us. For more information, see the section entitled ManagementConflicts of Interest.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other responsibilities. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers and directors are engaged in other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers and directors other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, officers, directors and Acquisition Advisory Council members may participate in the formation of, become an officer or director of, invest in, or otherwise become associated with any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. For a complete discussion of our officers and directors other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled ManagementDirectors, Director Nominees and Officers and ManagementConflicts of Interest.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us after the completion of our initial business combination. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Members of our management team and affiliated companies have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business.
Members of our management team have been involved in a wide variety of businesses. Such involvement has, and may lead to, media coverage and public awareness. As a result, members of our
74
management team and affiliated companies have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes or governmental investigations unrelated to our business. Any such claims or investigations may be detrimental to our reputation and could negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor these obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
For a complete discussion of our officers and directors current business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see ManagementDirectors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers, ManagementConflicts of Interest and Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.
Our officers, directors and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
Affiliates of our sponsor are engaged in an array of investment activities that may in the future create overlap with companies that may be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.
We may engage our underwriter or one of its affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination
or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriter is entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering
75
any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our underwriter or one of its affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arms length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter or its affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriter or its affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriter is also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters or its affiliates financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
Risks Related to the Company After a Business Combination
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
76
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination targets key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidates key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidates management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. 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.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign market, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
| costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets; |
| rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
77
| laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
| tariffs and trade barriers; |
| regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| longer payment cycles; |
| changes in local regulations as part of a response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak; |
| tax consequences, such as tax law changes, including termination or reduction of tax and other incentives that the applicable government provides to domestic companies, and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| rates of inflation; |
| challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| cultural and language differences; |
| employment regulations; |
| crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; |
| deterioration of political relations with the United States; |
| obligatory military service by personnel; and |
| government appropriation of assets. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such combination or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
Other Risks
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which
78
to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of our Class A common stock included in each unit could be challenged by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, or the courts. In addition, if we are determined to be a personal holding company for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year, certain portions of our taxable income in such taxable year would be subject to an additional 20% tax, which would reduce the net after-tax amount of interest income earned on the funds placed in our trust account. We would generally be classified as a personal holding company for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (1) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (including certain entities such as certain tax exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of our stock by value and (2) at least 60% of our income for U.S. federal income tax purposes for such taxable year consists of personal holding company income, which includes interest income. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares of common stock suspend the running of a U.S. holders holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered qualified dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled United States Federal Income Tax Considerations for a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax considerations applicable to their specific circumstances when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
If we effect a business combination with a target company organized in another jurisdiction, we may take actions in connection with the business combination that could have adverse tax consequences.
We may effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located, or reincorporate in another jurisdiction. Such transactions may result in tax liability for a stockholder in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder is a tax resident (or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity), in which the target company is located, or in which we reincorporate. In the event of a reincorporation pursuant to our initial business combination, such tax liability may attach prior to the consummation of redemptions of any of our public shares properly submitted to us for redemption in connection with such business combination. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders to pay such taxes. Stockholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Data privacy and security breaches, including, but not limited to, those resulting from cyber incidents or attacks, acts of vandalism or theft, computer viruses and/or misplaced or lost data, could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption, reputational harm, criminal liability and/or financial loss.
We will depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate
79
attacks on, or privacy and security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information, and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data privacy or security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences and therefore could be liable for privacy and security breaches, including potentially those caused by any of our subcontractors. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents or other incidents that result in a privacy or security breach. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to reputational harm, criminal liability and/or financial loss.
80
We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
Without
over- |
Over-allotment |
|||||||
Gross proceeds |
||||||||
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) |
$ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement |
5,900,000 | $ | 6,350,000 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total gross proceeds |
$ | 205,900,000 | $ | 236,350,000 | ||||
Estimated offering expenses(2) |
||||||||
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) |
$ | 4,000,000 | $ | 4,600,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Legal fees and expenses |
600,000 | 600,000 | ||||||
Accounting fees and expenses |
58,000 | 58,000 | ||||||
Printing and engraving expenses |
35,000 | 35,000 | ||||||
SEC expenses |
52,068 | 52,068 | ||||||
FINRA expenses |
72,088 | 72,088 | ||||||
Travel and road show |
10,000 | 10,000 | ||||||
Nasdaq listing and filing fees |
80,000 | 80,000 | ||||||
Transfer agent fees |
42,000 | 42,000 | ||||||
Miscellaneous expenses(4) |
200,844 | 200,844 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) |
$ | 1,150,000 | $ | 1,150,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Expense reimbursement(5) |
(1,000,000 | ) | (1,150,000 | ) | ||||
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses |
$ | 201,750,000 | $ | 231,750,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Held in trust account(3) |
$ | 200,000,000 | $ | 230,000,000 | ||||
% of public offering size |
100 | % | 100 | % | ||||
Not held in trust account |
$ | 1,750,000 | $ | 1,750,000 | ||||
|
|
|
|
The following table shows the use of the estimated $1,750,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account.(6)
Amount |
% of Total |
|||||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination(7) |
$ | 300,000 | 17.1 | % | ||||
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations |
200,000 | 11.4 | % | |||||
Expenses for office space, utilities, administrative and support services |
200,000 | 11.4 | % | |||||
Directors and officers insurance premiums |
750,000 | 42.9 | % | |||||
Nasdaq listing fees |
80,000 | 4.6 | % | |||||
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income) |
220,000 | 12.6 | % | |||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total |
$ | 1,750,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||
|
|
|
|
(1) | Includes amounts payable to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination. |
(2) | A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. To date, we have borrowed $200,000 under the promissory note |
81
with our sponsor. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. These expenses are estimates only. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account. |
(3) | The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriters deferred commissions (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account and the remaining funds, less amounts released to a separate account controlled by the trustee for disbursal to redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions. |
(4) | Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates. |
(5) | Pursuant to the terms of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed to reimburse us for certain expenses for $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). |
(6) | These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an acquisition target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. The payment for office space, utilities, administrative and support services in the table above assumes the consummation of our initial business combination takes 24 months. Based on current interest rates, we would expect the trust account to generate approximately $300,000 of interest annually following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. Government Treasury bills or in specified money market funds; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount, particularly if the interest rates of U.S. Government Treasury obligations become negative. This estimate assumes an interest rate of 0.10% per annum based upon current yields of securities in which the trust account may be invested. In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. |
82
(7) | Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a no shop provision and commitment fees for financing. |
Nasdaq listing rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the consummation of this offering, be placed in a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $200,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.10% per year. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes, and the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with such an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with any other applicable amendment to our certificate of incorporation and a subsequent business combination to the extent they are then stockholders. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay taxes.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to loan funds to, or invest in, us.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. To date, we have borrowed $200,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of February 28, 2023 and the closing of this offering.
83
These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,750,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see Proposed BusinessPermitted Purchases of Our Securities for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
We will only redeem our public shares so long as, after payment of the deferred underwriting commissions and after such redemptions, our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 (a) in the case of our initial business combination, either prior to or upon consummation of such initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission or (b) in the case of an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, upon such amendment (in each case so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules) and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.
A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to
84
amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with such an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to such funds in connection with any other applicable amendment to our certificate of incorporation and a subsequent business combination to the extent they are then stockholders. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity. Our initial stockholders have also agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquires public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
85
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
86
The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.
At December 31, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $(674,850), or $(0.12) per share of Class B common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book deficit at December 31, 2021 would have been $(5,383,306) or $(0.94) per share, representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option) of $(0.82) per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $11.08 per share or 110.8% to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $11.10 per share or 111.0%.
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:
Without Over- |
With Over- |
|||||||
Public offering price |
$ | 10.00 | $ | 10.00 | ||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering |
(0.12 | ) | (0.12 | ) | ||||
Decrease attributable to public stockholders |
(0.82 | ) | (0.98 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Pro forma net tangible book deficit after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants |
(0.94 | ) | (1.10 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Dilution to public stockholders |
$ | (10.94 | ) | $ | 11.10 | |||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Percentage of dilution to public stockholders |
(109.4 | )% | 111.0 | % |
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option) by $200,000,000 because holders of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering.
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:
Shares purchased |
Total consideration |
Average price per |
||||||||||||||||||
Number |
Percentage |
Number |
Percentage |
|||||||||||||||||
Initial Stockholders(1)(2) |
5,000,000 | 20.00 | % | $ | 25,000 | 0.01 | % | $ | 0.005 | |||||||||||
Public Stockholders |
20,000,000 | 80.00 | % | $ | 200,000,000 | 99.99 | % | $ | 10.00 | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
25,000,000 | 100.0 | % | $ | 200,025,000 | 100.0 | % | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
87
(1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 750,000 shares of Class B common stock that are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. |
(2) | Assumes conversion of the founder shares into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. The dilution to public stockholders would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon such conversion. |
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering is calculated as follows:
Without
Over- |
With
Over- |
|||||||
Numerator: |
||||||||
Net tangible book deficit before this offering |
$ | (674,850 | ) | $ | (674,850 | ) | ||
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants |
201,750,000 | 231,750,000 | ||||||
Plus: Offering costs accrued for or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book deficit before this offering |
661,544 | 661,544 | ||||||
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions |
(7,000,000 | ) | (8,050,000 | ) | ||||
Less: Over-allotment option liability(1) |
(120,000 | ) | | |||||
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption |
(200,000,000 | ) | (230,000,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
$ | (5,383,306 | ) | $ | (6,313,306 | ) | |||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Denominator: |
||||||||
Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering |
5,750,000 | 5,750,000 | ||||||
Class B common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised |
(750,000 | ) | | |||||
Class A common stock included in the units offered |
20,000,000 | 23,000,000 | ||||||
Less: Shares subject to redemption |
(20,000,000 | ) | (23,000,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
5,000,000 | 5,750,000 | |||||||
|
|
|
|
(1) | We will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to this offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units to cover over allotments, if any, at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment option will be recognized as a derivative liability in accordance with ASC 815. |
88
The following table sets forth our capitalization at December 31, 2021 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units and the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
December 31, 2021 |
||||||||
Actual |
As Adjusted (1) |
|||||||
Note payable to related party (2) |
$ | 200,000 | $ | | ||||
Deferred underwriting commissions |
| 7,000,000 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Over-allotment option liability (3) |
| 120,000 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption; -0- and 20,000,000 shares, actual and as adjusted, respectively (4) |
| 200,000,000 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding |
| | ||||||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; no non-redeemable shares issued or outstanding |
| | ||||||
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 and 20,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted, respectively; 5,750,000 and 5,000,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively |
575 | 500 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
24,425 | | ||||||
Accumulated deficit (5) |
(38,306 | ) | (5,383,806 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total stockholders deficit |
$ | (13,306 | ) | $ | (5,383,306 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total capitalization |
$ | 186,694 | $ | 201,736,694 | ||||
|
|
|
|
(1) | Assumes the full forfeiture of 750,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders on a pro-rata basis depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account, the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account nor will they be eligible to vote upon the initial business combination. |
(2) | Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2021, we have borrowed $200,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. |
(3) | We will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the final prospectus relating to this offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the initial public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The over-allotment option will be recognized as a derivative liability in accordance with ASC 480 and ASC 815. |
(4) | All of the 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with our liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with our initial business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with SEC and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Accordingly, all of the outstanding Class A common stock is presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders equity section of the Companys balance sheet. Given that the 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds |
89
determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The resulting discount to the initial carrying value of temporary equity will be accreted upon closing the Initial Public Offering such that the carrying value will equal the redemption value on such date. The accretion or remeasurement will be recognized as a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital). |
(5) | As adjusted accumulated deficit includes the immediate accretion of the carry value of Class A common stock subject to redemption value. |
90
MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation on February 11, 2021 and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
The issuance of additional shares of our stock in a business combination:
| may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the founder shares resulted in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares; |
| may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock; |
| could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; |
| may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants; and |
| may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in:
| default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
| acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
| our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
| our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
| our inability to pay dividends on our common stock; |
91
| using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
| limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
| increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and |
| limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of December 31, 2021, we had cash of approximately $26,000 and a working capital deficiency of approximately $675,000. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through the payment of $25,000 from our sponsor to cover for our offering costs in exchange for issuance of the founder shares to and up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of December 31, 2021, we have borrowed $200,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $1,150,000 and underwriting commissions of $4,000,000 ($4,600,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full)), (2) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $5,900,000 (or $6,350,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), and (3) the reimbursement from the underwriters to us for certain expenses for $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be $201,750,000 (or $231,750,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions will be deposited into the trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. The remaining $1,750,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,150,000 we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,150,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
92
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and excluding deferred underwriting commissions). We may withdraw interest to pay our taxes. Delaware franchise tax is based on our authorized shares or on our assumed par and non-par capital, whichever yields a lower result. Based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding and our estimated total gross proceeds after the completion of this offering, our annual franchise tax obligation is expected to be capped at the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation of $200,000. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the only taxes payable by us out of the funds in the trust account will be income and franchise taxes. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us an estimated $1,750,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $300,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combinations; $200,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $80,000 for Nasdaq continued listing fees; $200,000 for office space, utilities, administrative and support services; $750,000 for directors and officers insurance; and approximately $220,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a no-shop provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from shopping around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a no-shop provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
93
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2021, we had cash of approximately $26,000 and a working capital deficiency of approximately $675,000. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to report and evaluate on our system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor 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. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
| staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties; |
| reconciliation of accounts; |
| proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate; |
| evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions; |
| documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and |
| documentation of accounting policies and procedures. |
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
94
Once our managements report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target businesss internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Related Party Transactions
On February 22, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover for certain offering costs in exchange for 8,625,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. On April 9, 2021, our Sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of the three independent director nominees. On March 21, 2022, our sponsor forfeited to us 2,875,000 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 founder shares. Up to 750,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders on a pro-rata basis depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. Our sponsor does not currently intend to purchase any units in this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable with respect to our shares of Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our formation and initial public offering and activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors, Acquisition Advisory Council members, or our or any of their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. To date, we have borrowed $200,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of February 28, 2023 and the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,150,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
95
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 private placement warrants (or 4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($5,900,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private placement warrants held by it to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as our sponsor. Otherwise, these warrants will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees (except as described below under Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders WarrantsRedemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00). The private placement warrants may also be exercised by our sponsor or its permitted transferees for cash or on a cashless basis and our sponsor and its permitted transferees will also have certain registration rights related to the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as described below. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial stockholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.
Jobs Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an emerging growth company and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an emerging growth company, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things: (1) provide an auditors attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; (2) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer
96
Protection Act; (3) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditors report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis); and (4) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEOs compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an emerging growth company, whichever is earlier.
97
General
Stillwater Growth Corp. I is a newly organized blank check company, incorporated in Delaware for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination.
We believe we have assembled a highly differentiated team including our sponsor, board of directors, AAC and management team, which brings senior operating executive experience, deal flow, transaction execution expertise, investing experience, governance, and access to additional capital. The team includes both past and current CEOs of Acuity Brands, AT&T, IBM, Silicon Graphics, Walmart Global eCommerce, and Workday; past and current CEOs and Senior Partners of investment firms including Coatue Management, Franklin Templeton Investments, Norwest Ventures, Redpoint Partners, Silver Lake Partners, Standard Pacific Capital, and Temasek; past and current Board members of numerous technology leaders; and current bankers and lawyers with extensive transaction and governance expertise.
Collectively, our team has extensive networks to help us source and evaluate attractive, high-growth technology or technology-enabled companies. Our team provides broad based expertise with technology companies spanning early-stage growth startups through large, multi-national industry leaders and a track record of investment success. We believe our team offers potential deal flow, operating experience and global networks, investment expertise spanning public and private markets, capital access, M&A and governance experience. Combined with DBO Partners technology investment banking practice, we believe this expertise and resource infrastructure provides us a competitive advantage as we source, diligence and negotiate a business combination. Certain members of our team may invest directly in any private investment in public entity (PIPE) transaction associated with a merger as a vote of such confidence. In addition, certain members of our team may remain engaged with our business target post-combination in a governance or advisory capacity. Amidst an increasingly competitive market for attractive business combinations, we believe our teams experience and network may make us an attractive partner for a potential business combination.
Sponsor
The sponsor is primarily responsible for forming and funding our company. Thereafter, the sponsor, together with management, will be responsible for originating investment opportunities, evaluating the investment pipeline and executing acquisition and financing transactions. Members of our sponsor also have significant deal sourcing, management and transaction execution experience:
| G. Douglas Dillard, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Standard Pacific Capital. |
| David W. Dorman: Former CEO of AT&T, current Chairman of CVS Health. |
| George J. Still, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Norwest Ventures, current Vice-Chairman of Workday. |
| DBO Acquisition: a subsidiary of DBO Partners Holdings LLC, the parent company of DBO Partners, a technology focused boutique investment bank. |
Board of Directors
The board of directors will be responsible for representing the interests of our stockholders prior to a business combination and evaluating and approving business combination opportunities. We expect that the board of directors will evaluate and potentially approve a business combination, if one occurs. The sponsor and
98
management team may request greater involvement of the directors where their skills and experience will enhance the investment process and the long-term value creation opportunity. Members of our board of directors have significant legal, corporate governance, operating and deal execution capabilities.
| George J. Still, Jr. (Chairman): Former Co-Managing Partner of Norwest Ventures, current Vice-Chairman of Workday. |
| Steven Bochner: Current partner and former CEO of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR). |
| Gordon Dean: Co-Founding partner of DBO Partners, former Vice Chairman of Morgan Stanley Investment Banking. |
| Jorge Titinger: Former CEO of Silicon Graphics (SGI). |
| Heidi Ueberroth: President and Managing Partner of Globicon, current director of Electronic Arts and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. |
Acquisition Advisory Council
The AAC consists of individuals with significant experience growing, building, and operating and investing in technology businesses. In addition to origination activities, we expect the AAC will be consulted on potential business combination opportunities and the sponsor and management may request the participation of AAC members where their skills and experience will enhance investment process and the long-term value creation opportunity. Principals of DBO Partners affiliated with us initially identified the individuals selected to serve on the AAC.
| David W. Dorman (Chairman): Former CEO of AT&T, current Chairman of CVS Health. |
| Neil Ashe: Current CEO of Acuity Brands, former CEO of Walmart Global eCommerce and CNET. |
| Aneel Bhusri: CEO and Co-Founder of Workday. |
| G. Douglas Dillard, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Standard Pacific Capital. |
| Egon Durban: Co-CEO of Silver Lake Partners. |
| Promod Haque: Senior Managing Partner of Norwest Venture Partners. |
| Greg Johnson: Chairman and former CEO of Franklin Templeton Investments. |
| Thomas Laffont: Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Coatue Management. |
| John Marren: Senior Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Temasek, former Head of Technology for TPG Capital. |
| Nicholas Osborne: Co-Founding partner of DBO Partners, former Global Head of Technology M&A at Morgan Stanley. |
| Sam Palmisano: Director at Exxon Mobil Corporation and former CEO and Chairman of IBM. |
| George J. Still, Jr.: Former Co-Managing Partner of Norwest Ventures, current Vice-Chairman of Workday. |
| Geoffrey Y. Yang: Founding Partner and Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures. |
99
Management Team
Our management team is primarily responsible for managing our initial public offering. Thereafter, the management team will be responsible for coordinating the activities of the sponsor, board of directors, and AAC.
| Mark Bradley: Co-Founding partner of DBO Partners, former Global Head of Financial Sponsor Coverage for Morgan Stanley. |
| Bryant Williams: Managing Director of DBO Partners. |
Although we will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in our identification and acquisition of a target company, we believe the growth-oriented subsectors in the technology sector present particularly attractive investment opportunities. We have not selected any potential business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities.
Our Business Strategy
Our objective is to acquire a high-quality, growing business in the technology industry with a large total addressable market that can generate attractive, risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders. To that end, our acquisition and value creation strategy will leverage the Stillwater teams extensive network of CEOs, as well as prominent investors from the venture capital, private equity and hedge fund sectors who possess a broad and deep network of technology relationships. We believe this network will provide Stillwater with a potential advantage in sourcing as well as conducting diligence, valuation, negotiation and execution of a business combination.
In addition, the experience, track record and credibility of these operators and investors should make us attractive partners to the management and ownership of potential targets. After the initial business combination, it is our strategy to offer our teams operational expertise, industry knowledge and extensive global network of relationships to enhance the growth of this business.
We believe that this differentiated value proposition will afford us access to transaction opportunities. But even in competitive processes, we believe our operational and investing expertise will provide us with a potential competitive advantage.
Specifically, we believe the following factors will allow us to potentially identify and consummate a business combination:
| Significant Sourcing Capabilities in the Technology Sector: Stillwaters team and their global network of broad and deep relationships with CEOs, founders, venture investors and private equity sponsors provides us with an avenue for sourcing potential business combinations. |
| Our Expertise in Consummating Transactions: Stillwaters team includes founders, operators, investors, investment bankers, senior executives and investors who have executed many capital raising and M&A transactions in various technology sectors in various economic conditions. In addition, our bankers, lawyers, investors and operators have considerable experience in taking companies public, negotiating and consummating transactions, as well as in identifying potential synergies, overseeing business integrations, and advising company boards and executives on matters relating to public markets, corporate strategy, stockholder engagement, and ESG issues. |
| Our Operational and Investment Experience: Members of our team have significant experience creating and operating some of the worlds largest and most successful technology companies as |
100
well as leading some of the most successful technology-focused venture, private equity and hedge fund firms. Certain members of our team may remain engaged with our business target post-combination in a governance and advisory capacity. |
| Access to Capital: Certain members of our Acquisition Advisory Council are affiliated with organizations that are interested in potentially investing in a PIPE transaction. This source of additional capital should provide greater deal certainty in funding the initial business combination. |
Altogether, we believe that these factors should make us a preferred partner relative to other blank check companies.
Investment Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines to evaluate potential business combinations. Although we will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in our identification and acquisition of a target company, we believe the growth-oriented subsectors in the technology sector present particularly attractive investment opportunities. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target.
| Management team: We will seek to partner with a high quality management team that we believe can build and scale a successful business. |
| Corporate culture: We believe corporate culture is a competitive advantage. Embracing shared values of innovation, transparency, customer focus, and social responsibility in a purpose-driven company environment is fundamental to long term success. |
| Businesses that can benefit from our operational expertise: We will seek to partner with a business and management team that can benefit from the experience of our team in building, scaling, and financing companies that have grown to become global leaders. |
| Addressable market: Our focus will be on investing in a business that addresses a large market that creates the opportunity for attractive long-term growth prospects. |
| Business model: We will focus on companies that demonstrate the opportunity for customer success, attractive unit economics, effective go-to- market channels, recurring revenues, and growth opportunities with existing and new customers. The businesses we focus on may require additional investment to scale these opportunities. |
| Competitive advantage: We will focus on companies that have differentiated products and services based on modern and advanced technologies, including, but not restricted to, cloud computing, high performance computing, predictive data analytics, data science, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, automation mobility, high volume data, data-enabled engagement, social networking, and advanced manufacturing. |
| Benefit of being public: We will seek companies that we believe can benefit from being public, including access to liquid capital. |
| Appropriate valuation: We will invest with a focus on risk-adjusted returns for stockholders. |
101
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors, and criteria that our board of directors may deem relevant.
Our Initial Business Combination Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital planning experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, management, directors, AAC members, or DBO Partners clients, and may very well do so. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, that our initial business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view. Interested directors will also recuse themselves from any decision-making with respect to such a transaction.
Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our common stock and/or warrants following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
Our sponsor and its affiliates, and our directors, management, and AAC members are from time to time made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
Members of our sponsor, management team, board of directors and AAC presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our members becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor these obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating any legal obligation. Our officers and directors would continue to be subject to all other fiduciary duties owed to us and our stockholders and no other waivers of their respective fiduciary obligations have been provided to any such officers and directors.
Our Sponsor, Board of Directors, Acquisition Advisory Council and Management Team
Our Sponsor
G. Douglas Dillard, Jr. is a member of our sponsor and has agreed to serve on our Acquisition Advisory Council. He is currently the Managing Partner of Slewgrass Capital, LLC. Slewgrass is a family office/
102
investment firm focused on public equities and growth equity for technology companies. Mr. Dillard has personally made over 40 investments in private, growth companies over the last 20 years, primarily in the software, consumer, media, and financial technology sectors. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Acuity Brands, Foundation Windpower, Paravision.ai and Discourse.ai (Talkmap). He is also an advisor to several private technology companies.
Prior to founding Slewgrass in 2017, Mr. Dillard was the Co-Managing Partner of Standard Pacific Capital, a Global Long/Short Equity hedge fund. He joined Standard Pacific in 1998 as a Principal, responsible for the Firms investments in software/services, fintech, and emerging markets. Mr. Dillard served as Managing Partner and Co-Portfolio Manager of the Global Fund from 2005-2015 and of the Global Concentrated Fund from 2014-2016.
Mr. Dillard started his career in Morgan Stanleys Investment Banking division as an analyst in the Real Estate and Capital Market Groups in New York and Hong Kong. He received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He served on Georgetown Universitys Board of Regents from 2010-2016 and was an adjunct professor of finance at Georgetowns McDonough School of Business from 2017-2018. He is also the Chairman emeritus of St. Marys Medical Center Foundation Board.
David W. Dorman is a member of our sponsor and has agreed to serve as chairman of our Acquisition Advisory Council. He also currently serves on the board of various companies, including Chairman of the Board of CVS Health, since May 2011, board member at PayPal (previously eBay), board member at Dell Technologies, and board member at various other private companies. He is a Founding Partner of Centerview Capital Technology Fund, a private investment firm, established in July 2013, where he has made a number of investments in a variety of technology industries including cybersecurity and data operations and orchestration. Mr. Dorman also served as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Motorola, Inc. from May 2008 leading up to the separation of its Mobile Devices business in January 2011. He then served as Chairman of Motorola Solutions until his retirement from the board in 2015.
Prior to Centerview, Mr. Dorman was a Managing Director and Senior Advisor with Warburg Pincus, a global leader in private equity, from October 2006 to April 2008. Mr. Dorman was also Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of AT&T Corp from November 2002 until November 2006. Prior to that role, he was President of AT&T from 2000 to 2002. Mr. Dorman also served as Chairman, President and CEO of Pacific Bell in June 1994 until Pacific Bells acquisition by SBC Communications.
Additionally, Mr. Dorman was a board member at Yum! Brands for 14 years. He also served on the Georgia Tech Foundation board of trustees for 12 years, and on the Presidents Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) appointed by President Clinton in 1997 and reappointed by President Bush in 2001. Mr. Dorman received a B.S. degree in Industrial Management with high honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
George J. Still, Jr. is a member of our sponsor, member of our Acquisition Advisory Council, and has agreed to serve as chairman of our board of directors. He is currently lead independent director and Vice-Chairman of Workday, Inc., having joined the board in 2009. Mr. Still is also a member of the board of directors of various private companies, including Inxeption, Inc. and Brightplan LLC. In addition, he manages Still Capital Partners, which he founded in 2014.
Prior to Still Capital Partners, Mr. Still was Co-Managing Partner of six private equity and venture capital funds at Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) until his retirement as Partner Emeritus in 2014. Mr. Still joined Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) in 1989 and became Co-Managing Partner in 1994. While at NVP, Mr. Still was also lead investor and a member of the board of directors of several private and public companies including Rackspace Inc., PeopleSoft Inc., Verio Inc., and Web.com Inc.
103
Prior to NVP, Mr. Still was a partner at Centennial Ventures. In addition, he previously worked for Ernst & Young. He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the National Venture Capital Association. Mr. Still received a Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College, where he has served on the board of advisors as well as Tucks Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital. Mr. Still brings to the board of directors financial and investing acumen through his many years at NVP and Still Capital Partners. His service as an advisor to technology companies provides a valuable resource for our board of directors.
From 2014 to 2017, he was a member of the executive committee and an officer of the United States Golf Association.
DBO Acquisition is a subsidiary and affiliate of DBO Partners, a premier, Silicon Valley-based boutique investment bank founded in 2012 by Gordon Dean, Mark Bradley, and Nicholas Osborne, three Morgan Stanley professionals with over 30 years of investment banking experience apiece. DBO Partners advises corporate leaders on their most important strategic and financial transactions. The firm offers expertise across a broad range of investment banking advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, restructurings, debt & equity capital raising, stockholder relations, financing, and General Partner advisory services.
DBO Partners maintains a robust network of existing, former, and prospective clients across a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on the technology sectors where DBO Partners has deep insights and expertise, including enterprise software, cybersecurity, semiconductors, and engineering services. DBO Partners has executed some of the largest and most complex transactions for leading global companies and private equity firms. DBO Partners employs approximately 25 professionals who will not be our employees, but we expect to utilize them to source and evaluate our initial business combination.
Our Board of Directors
Mr. George J. Still, Jr. and Mr. Gordon Dean of DBO Partners serve on our board of directors as representatives of our sponsor. They will be joined by three independent director nominees, Mr. Steven Bochner, Mr. Jorge Titinger, and Ms. Heidi Ueberroth, each of whom have extensive experience in business and financial matters.
Steven E. Bochner has agreed to serve as an independent director of our board of directors. He is currently a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR), a leading law firm serving the technology and life sciences industries. From 2009-2012 Mr. Bochner served as Chief Executive Officer of WSGR and is currently a member of the firms Board of Directors. In his more than 39 years of experience practicing corporate and securities law, Mr. Bochner has served as lead counsel for many of Silicon Valleys most prominent companies, assisting them in venture capital, public offering, and merger transactions valued in the billions of dollars.
From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Bochner was a lecturer on corporate and securities law at the UC Berkeley School of Law, where he designed and taught the Venture Capital and IPO Law course. From 2012 to 2018, Mr. Bochner served two terms on the Federal Reserve Bank of San Franciscos board of directors . Mr. Bochner has also served on multiple advisory boards, including as Chair of the executive committee of the Northwestern Securities Regulation Institute from 2015-2017, as Chair of the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council, where he served as a member, from 1996-2011, and as a member of the Securities and Exchange Commissions advisory committee on smaller public companies from 2005-2006. Mr. Bochner currently serves on the board of directors of KQED and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. Mr. Bochner received a B.S. in Political Science at San Jose State University in 1977 and his J.D. at UC Berkeley School of Law in 1981.
Gordon Dean serves as a member of our board of directors. He is a founding partner of DBO Partners. He began his professional career as a securities lawyer in Washington DC focusing on the IPOs of financial
104
institutions. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1986 where he rose to become a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Investment Banking. He ran the San Francisco Investment Banking operations and was co-head of the firms Western Region.
Mr. Dean has served on a variety of boards, including the Georgetown University Board of Regents as well as the boards of Engineering Change, KnowledgeBeat, the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Zoological Society, where he was Chairman.
Mr. Dean earned an A.B. in Economics from Georgetown University, an M.B.A. from Yale University School of Management, and a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was a Patrick Wilson Scholar.
Jorge Titinger has agreed to serve as an independent member of our board of directors. Mr. Titinger is the founder and principal of Titinger Consulting, a private consulting and advisory services firm focused on providing strategy, corporate transformation, and culture advice to its clients. Mr. Titinger served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of Silicon Graphics International (SGI) from February 2012 until November 2016, when SGI was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Previous to SGI, from June 2008 to July 2011, Mr. Titinger held several executive positions at Verigy Ltd., a company in the semiconductor automated test equipment industry, culminating as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the board. Verigy was acquired by Advantest in 2011. Prior to Verigy, Mr. Titinger was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Product Business Groups at Form Factor, Inc., a company in the probe card technology business, from November 2007 to June 2008. Mr. Titinger previously held executive and general management positions at KLA-Tencor Corporation and Applied Materials, Inc., both companies in the semiconductor equipment industry, MIPS Computer Systems, Inc., a company in the graphics computing industry, and Hewlett Packard Company.
Mr. Titinger served as a director of Xcerra Corporation, a provider of semiconductor and electronics test products and services from 2012 until it was acquired by Cohu, Inc. in 2018. Mr. Titinger currently serves as a director of Cohu, Inc., a supplier of semiconductor test and inspection equipment, a position he has held since October 2017; CalAmp Corp., a provider of mobile resource management telematics systems, software and subscription services for the Internet of Things market, a position he has held since June 2015; and as a director of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., a provider of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, a position he has held since August of 2019. Mr. Titinger serves on the Board of private and non-profit companies, including the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center and Reno Sub-Systems.
Mr. Titinger holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. degree in Engineering Management, all from Stanford University.
Heidi Ueberroth has agreed to serve as an independent member of our board of directors. Ms. Ueberroth is the President and Managing Partner of Globicon, a private investment and advisory firm focused on the media, sports, entertainment and hospitality industries. Ms. Ueberroth is also Co-Chairman of the Pebble Beach Company which owns and operates Pebble Beach Resorts. Ms. Ueberroth serves on the board of directors of Electronic Arts and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a director of several non-profit organizations including the national board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the First Tee, the Ueberroth Family Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
Ms. Ueberroth has over 30 years of global operational and management expertise. From 1994 to 2013 Ms. Ueberroth served in multiple positions at the National Basketball Association overseeing the leagues international expansion, including as President, NBA International, as President of Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations, and as a member of the board of directors of NBA China, LLC. Prior to the NBA, Ms. Ueberroth held positions with ESPN and Ohlmeyer Communications Company, a global TV production and sports marketing company.
105
She holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and serves on its Arts and Science Board of Advisors.
Ms. Ueberroth also has prior experience working for Ohlmeyer Communications, an international production company, and ESPN. She holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and serves on its Arts and Science Board of Visitors and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Our Acquisition Advisory Council
Stillwater maintains an Acquisition Advisory Council comprised of highly experienced and successful CEOs and investors, especially in the technology sector. We believe this advisory group will be useful in the sourcing of potential business combinations and will provide unique perspective given their backgrounds to aid in our diligence and negotiating efforts. In addition, certain members may elect to remain involved with our business combination target as a director or advisor, which we believe will be attractive to potential targets. Principals of DBO Partners affiliated with us initially identified the individuals selected to serve on the AAC.
Mr. David W. Dorman has agreed to serve as chairman of the AAC. He is joined by Mr. Neil Ashe, Mr. Aneel Bhusri, Mr. Doug Dillard, Mr. Egon Durban, Mr. Promod Haque, Mr. Greg Johnson, Mr. Thomas Laffont, Mr. John Marren, Mr. Nicholas Osborne, Mr. Sam Palmisano, Mr. George J. Still, Jr. and Mr. Geoffrey Y. Yang.
Neil Ashe is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Ashe is the CEO of Acuity Brands, a global technology manufacturer, and Principal of Faster Horses, a family office that invests in, operates and advises companies.
Prior to Acuity Brands and Faster Horses, Mr. Ashe was the President and CEO of Walmarts Global eCommerce & Technology Division from 2012-2017, where he helped triple the size of its eCommerce business. Prior to Walmart, Mr. Ashe was a member of the Board of Directors of AMC Networks from 2011-2014. Prior to that, he was the President of CBS Interactive from 2008-2011. He was also the CEO and member of the Board of Directors of CNET Networks from 2006-2008, Executive Vice President from 2006-2008, and Senior Vice President of Strategy & Development from 2002-2005. Mr. Ashe started his career as an Associate at Smith Barney Inc.
Mr. Ashe holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Aneel Bhusri is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Bhusri has been CEO and Co-Founder of Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance, HR and planning, since 2005.
Mr. Bhusri is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Board of Trustees of Stanford University, and an Advisory Partner of Greylock Partners, where he was a General Partner from 1999-2012. He also previously served on the Board of Directors of Intel Corporation from 2014-2019. Prior to these roles, Mr. Bhusri was a Senior Vice President of PeopleSoft from 1993-1999. He started his career at Morgan Stanley as a Corporate Finance Analyst.
Mr. Bhusri holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Egon Durban is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Durban joined Silver Lake in 1999 as a founding principal and is Co-CEO. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Endeavor Group Holdings. He also serves on the board of directors of City Football Group, Dell Technologies, Learfield IMG College, Motorola Solutions, Qualtrics, Twitter, UFC, Unity Software, Verily, VMware and Waymo.
106
Previously, he served on the board of Pivotal Software, SecureWorks, Skype, and was Chairman of its operating committee, served on the supervisory board and operating committee of NXP, and on the board of MultiPlan. Mr. Durban currently serves on the Business Council and Business Roundtable. Prior to Silver Lake, he worked in Morgan Stanleys Investment Banking Division. Mr. Durban graduated from Georgetown University with a B.S.B.A. in Finance.
Promod Haque is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Haque is a Senior Managing Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, a leading venture capital and growth equity firm where he has served since 1990. In 2014 and 2016, Forbes recognized Mr. Haque as a Hall of Fame investor. He was also recognized on the annual Forbes list in 2017 and 2004, when he was ranked the top venture capitalist based on performance over the previous decade. In 2006, Mr. Haque was presented with a Global Leadership award from NASSCOM, and he was honored with the 2011 SV Forum Visionary Award based on his achievements and contributions to the technology industry.
Mr. Haque currently serves on the board of directors of Copper, SlashNext Inc., ZineOne, Simpplr Inc., Cognitive Scale, Dtex Systems, and Prevedere Inc. He previously served on the board of directors of Health Catalyst, Shape Security, CareCloud, Sulekha.com, Yatra Online, Apigee, Palerra, Cyan Inc., FireEye, Skybox Imaging, Veveo, InsightsOne, Virtela Communications, Persistent Systems, AmberPoint, Cast Iron Systems, Open-Silicon, Yipes Enterprise Services, Extreme Networks, SPSS, Arbortext, Winphoria Networks, Redback Networks, Zettacom, Resonext Corporation, Escalate, OnDisplay Inc., Primus Communications, Transaction Systems Architects, Kiva Software, Corsair Communications, Information Advantage, Showcase Corporation, Cerent Corporation, Siara Systems, Prism Solutions Inc., Raster Graphics, Forte Software, NVE Corporation, PCH International, Brite Semiconductor, Appnomic Systems, and Tivoli Systems.
Prior to his role as Senior Managing Partner of Norwest Venture Partners, Mr. Haque served as CEO of Dimensional Medicine Inc. from 1983-1988, VP of Omnimedical Systems from 1982-1983, and a Director of EMI Medical Inc. He started his career at Siemens as a Sales Engineer from 1969-1972.
Mr. Haque holds a B.S.E.E. in Electrical Engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering, and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University.
Greg Johnson is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Johnson has been the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Franklin Templeton Investments, a global leader in asset management, since 2020. He previously served as CEO beginning in 2004 and President from 1999-2015.
Mr. Johnson currently serves or has previously served on the board of directors of Fiduciary Trust Co, Darby Overseas Investments, Command Audio Corp, San Francisco Symphony Inc., Jumpstart, Investment Company Institute, Mutual Fund Forum, and Securities Industry Association. He also previously served as President of the San Francisco Bond Club. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments in 1986, Mr. Johnson worked as a senior accountant for Coopers & Lybrand.
Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelors Degree from Washington & Lee University.
Thomas Laffont is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Laffont has been a Co-Founder of Coatue Management, a global technology-focused investment firm, since 2003. He is responsible for launching and leading the firms private investments across both early stage and growth platforms.
Mr. Laffont holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from Yale University.
John Marren is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Marren is a Senior Managing Director and Vice Chairman at Temasek, a global investment firm with portfolio value of $230Bn, where he has served since 2017.
107
Mr. Marren currently serves on the boards of directors of Poshmark, Inc., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Impossible Foods Inc., Infinidat Ltd., Neural Propulsion Systems Inc., U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation and University of California, Santa Barbara. Previously, Mr. Marren has served on the boards of directors of Vertafore Inc., Aptina LLC, Avaya Inc., Sierra Holdings Corp., Freescale Semiconductor Ltd., FIS Data Systems Inc., Conexant Systems LLC, ON Semiconductor Corp., GlobespanVirata Inc., Isola Group SARL, ON Semiconductor Connectivity Solutions Inc., SMART Worldwide Holdings Inc., and SunEdison Inc.
Prior to Temasek, Mr. Marren was the former Head of Technology at TPG Capital, where he worked from 2000-2016. Prior to TPG Capital, Mr. Marren was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where he served as Co-Head of the Technology Investment Banking Group from 1996-2000. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Marren was a Managing Director and Senior Semiconductor Research Analyst at Alex Brown & Sons. Prior to Alex Brown, Mr. Marren spent eight years in the semiconductor industry, working for VLSI Technology and Vitesse Semiconductor.
Mr. Marren holds a B.S.E.E. in Engineering from UC Santa Barbara.
Nicholas Osborne is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. He is a founding partner of DBO Partners. Mr. Osbornes banking career spans over 30 years. Prior to co-founding DBO Partners, he was a Managing Director and Head of Global Technology Mergers & Acquisitions at Morgan Stanley. In this role he was responsible for managing relationships and advising on M&A transactions for leading global technology companies including Advanced Micro Devices, Applied Materials, Arcsight, Atmel, CNET, Electronic Arts, Ingram Micro, Intuit, Oracle, Qlogic, Rightnow, Sandisk, and Zappos. He has extensive experience representing both buyers and sellers, structuring and negotiating significant JVs and advising on activist and hostile situations.
Prior to joining Morgan Stanleys Technology M&A Group in 1996, Mr. worked in the Financial Sponsor Group at Morgan Stanley and the High Yield Finance Group at First Boston. Prior to attending business school, he completed the management program and was corporate finance officer at JP Morgan.
Mr. Osborne is a graduate of Williams College with a B.A. in Economics and of the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College with an M.B.A.
Sam Palmisano is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Palmisano is a director at Exxon Mobil Corporation and the former CEO and Chairman of the IBM Corporation, where he worked from 1973-2012 and was appointed CEO in 2002.
Mr. Palmisano held a variety of other roles at IBM including COO, Senior Vice President and Group Executive for IBMs Enterprise Systems Group, Senior Vice President and Group Executive for IBMs Personal Systems Group, and Managing Director for the Personal Computer Company, and Senior Managing Director of Operations for IBM Japan. Mr. Palmisano was also President and CEO of Integrated Systems Solutions Corp. (ISSC) from 1993-1996.
Mr. Palmisano is currently the Chairman of the Center for Global Enterprise.
Mr. Palmisano holds a Bachelors Degree from The Johns Hopkins University.
Geoffrey Y. Yang is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Yang has served as a founding partner and Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures (a global private equity and venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California) since 1999. Mr. Yang also serves as CEO and founder of Performance Health Sciences (d/b/a Apeiron Life), located in Menlo Park, California. Prior to founding Redpoint, Mr. Yang previously served as a General Partner with Institutional Venture Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California, which he joined in 1987. Mr. Yang has over 35 years of experience in the venture capital industry and has helped found or served on the boards of a variety of consumer media, internet, and
108
infrastructure companies. Mr. Yang also has served on the boards of directors of AT&T since June 2016, Franklin Resources (Franklin Templeton) since March 2011, and Liberty Media Acquisition Corp since January 2021.
Mr. Yang holds a B.S.E. in engineering from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Our Management Team
Mark Bradley serves as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bradley is a founding partner of DBO Partners. He started his career with Morgan Stanley in 1985 after graduating from The University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration. He worked for two years as an analyst in the Firms Mergers & Acquisitions department. From 1987 to 1989 he attended Stanford Business School where he earned his Masters in Business Administration. He returned to Morgan Stanley in 1989 as an associate in the Corporate Finance department. Mr. Bradley was the Global Head of Morgan Stanleys Financial Sponsors coverage group for eleven years before becoming Chairman of the Group in 2011.
Bryant Williams serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Williams is currently a Managing Director at DBO Partners. He joined DBO Partners as a founding member in 2012. He focuses on M&A and private placement transactions across all industries, with an emphasis on technology. He started his career at Morgan Stanley in the Financial Sponsors Group focusing on M&A and corporate finance advisory services for Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies.
Mr. Williams received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, 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 our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. 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
109
company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Corporate Information
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to emerging growth company shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a smaller reporting company as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter.
Our executive offices are located at 1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor, Burlingame, CA, 94010 and our telephone number is (415) 376-6000. Our website address is www.stillwatergrowth.com/. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
110
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants initially in the amount of $198,900,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions (or $228,300,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting commissions if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full), we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, had any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. Our officers, directors, and Acquisition Advisory Council members are regularly made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted, or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise with, any prospective target business with respect to a business combination transaction with us.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offerings or loans rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by applicable law or we decide to do so for business or other reasons, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust
111
account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business.
Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
| subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination; and |
| cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
112
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Targets Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target businesss management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders may not have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
Public offering price |
$ | 10.00 |
Type of transaction |
Whether stockholder approval | |
Purchase of assets |
No | |
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company |
No | |
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company |
No | |
Merger of the company with a target |
Yes |
Under Nasdaqs listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
| we issue shares of common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of Class A common stock then outstanding (other than in a public offering); |
| any of our directors, officers or substantial stockholders (as defined by Nasdaq listing rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding shares of common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or |
| the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
113
The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and other reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
| the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
| the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote; |
| the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
| other time and budget constraints of the company; and |
| additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders. |
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
In the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares such persons may purchase. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. They will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will have an insider trading policy which will require insiders to (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information, except pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, and (2) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
114
The purpose of such purchases could be to (1) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial business combination or (2) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public float of our common stock may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors and/or any of their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination. Such persons would select the stockholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will be restricted from purchasing shares unless such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will be restricted except to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders Upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. At completion of the business combination, we will be required to purchase any public shares properly delivered for redemption and not withdrawn. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor has entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which it has agreed to waive its redemption rights with respect to its founder shares and any public shares it may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them.
115
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
| conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and |
| file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we and our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we will only redeem public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001, either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
| conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and |
| file proxy materials with the SEC. |
116
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.
In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our initial stockholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Our directors and officers also have agreed to vote in favor of our initial business combination with respect to public shares acquired by them, if any. We expect that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem their public shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001, either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates
117
to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holders shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in street name, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Companys DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination at the holders option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through The Depository Trust Companys DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an option window after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the companys stock in the market.
If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to
118
which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become option rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holders election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or two business days prior to the scheduled date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable (unless we elect to allow additional redemption rights). Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination until 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 24-month period or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their
119
shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets are less than $5,000,001 (a) in the case of our initial business combination, either prior to or upon consummation of such initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission or (b) in the case of an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, upon such amendment (in each case so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules). If this optional redemption right is being exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible requirement (described above) we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the $1,750,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any tax payments or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. See Risk FactorsIf third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share and other risk factors described above. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third partys engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. The underwriters of this offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
120
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsors only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per share. See Risk FactorsIf third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share and other risk factors described above.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to an estimated $1,750,000 from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants (after payment of offering expenses), with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,150,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust
121
account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,150,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such 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 our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the end of our acquisition period and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account. The underwriters of this offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our
122
sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay our taxes and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition 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. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that 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 some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. See Risk FactorsIf, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with such an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with any other applicable amendment to our certificate of incorporation and a subsequent business combination to the extent they are then stockholders. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholders voting in connection with our initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholders redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. Holders of warrants will not have any rights of proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to stockholders rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem
123
their public shares in connection with any such vote. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:
| prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either: (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, without voting, and, if they do vote, independent of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable); or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein; |
| we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001, either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission, and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination at a duly held stockholders meeting; |
| if our initial business combination is not consummated within 24 months from the closing of this offering, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and |
| prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions. |
These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of holders of at least 65% of our outstanding common stock. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we may consummate our initial business combination only if approved by a majority of the shares of common stock voted by our stockholders at a duly held stockholders meeting.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with our Initial Business Combination and if we Fail to Complete our Initial Business Combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.
124
Redemptions in connection |
Other permitted purchases |
Redemptions if we fail to | ||||
Calculation of redemption price |
Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that we will only redeem public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001, either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission, and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases will be restricted except to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. | If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. |
125
Redemptions in connection |
Other permitted purchases |
Redemptions if we fail to | ||||
Impact to remaining stockholders |
The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders, who will be our only remaining stockholder after such redemptions. |
Comparison of this Offering to those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
Terms of our offering |
Terms under a Rule 419 offering | |||
Escrow of offering proceeds |
Nasdaq listing rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. $200,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | Approximately $170,100,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | ||
Investment of net proceeds |
$200,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. |
126
Terms of our offering |
Terms under a Rule 419 offering | |||
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds |
Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by: (1) any taxes paid or payable; and (2) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation. | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | ||
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business |
Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds. | ||
Trading of securities issued |
The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BofA Securities informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly, and no later than four business days, after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report |
127
Terms of our offering |
Terms under a Rule 419 offering | |||
on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option. | ||||
Exercise of the warrants |
The warrants cannot be exercised until the date that is 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | ||
Election to remain an investor |
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, which interest shall be net of taxes payable, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange rules to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SECs proxy rules. If, however, we hold a stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the companys registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. |
128
Terms of our offering |
Terms under a Rule 419 offering | |||
period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. | ||||
Business combination deadline |
If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the companys registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors. |
129
Terms of our offering |
Terms under a Rule 419 offering | |||
shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. | ||||
Release of funds |
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Stockholders who do not exercise their rights to the funds held in the trust account in connection with such an amendment to our certificate of incorporation would still have rights to the funds | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. |
130
Terms of our offering |
Terms under a Rule 419 offering | |||
held in the trust account in connection with any other applicable amendment to our certificate of incorporation and a subsequent business combination to the extent they are then stockholders. | ||||
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote |
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering), without our prior consent. Our public stockholders inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. | Most blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination. | ||
Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights |
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in street name, to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Companys DWAC | In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership. |
131
Terms of our offering |
Terms under a Rule 419 offering | |||
(Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Conflicts of Interest
Certain of our directors, officers, affiliates of our sponsor, and members of our Acquisition Advisory Council manage several investment vehicles. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities.
In addition, investment ideas generated within our sponsor and other persons who may make decisions for the company, may be suitable for both us and for current or future entities managed by our directors, officers or affiliates of our sponsor and may be directed to such investment vehicle rather than to us. Certain members of the management team are and in the future will be involved in the formation of and offerings by these companies as well as the identification, acquisition and management of investments by such companies. The letter
132
agreements entered into with our officers will not restrict them from undertaking any such activities. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, become an officer or director of, invest in, or otherwise become associated with any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination.
As a result, conflicts of interest may arise between our officers fiduciary and contractual obligations to these companies and our officers obligations to us. None of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware. Our management team, in their capacities as directors, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future investment vehicles of our sponsor or its affiliates, including other blank-check companies, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to applicable fiduciary duties. See the section of this prospectus entitled Risk FactorsCertain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor these obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties to us under Delaware law. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Indemnity
Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our franchise and income taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsors only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor, which is a newly formed entity, to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihood of our sponsor having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we will endeavor to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor, Burlingame, CA 94010 and our telephone number is (415) 367-6000. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
133
Employees
We currently have three officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any such person will devote in any time period to our company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accounting firm.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
134
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that fiscal years second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a smaller reporting company as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that years second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that years second fiscal quarter.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.
135
Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers
Name |
Age |
Title | ||
George J. Still, Jr. |
64 | Chairman | ||
Gordon Dean |
65 | Director | ||
Mark Bradley |
58 | Chief Executive Officer | ||
Bryant Williams |
34 | Chief Financial Officer | ||
Steven Bochner |
67 | Director Nominee | ||
Jorge Titinger |
60 | Director Nominee | ||
Heidi Ueberroth |
56 | Director Nominee |
Our directors, director nominees and executive officers are as follows:
George J. Still, Jr. is a member of our sponsor, member of our Acquisition Advisory Council, and has agreed to serve as chairman of our board of directors. He is currently lead independent director and Vice-Chairman of Workday, Inc., having joined the board in 2009. Mr. Still is also a member of the board of directors of various private companies, including Inxeption, Inc. and Brightplan LLC. In addition, he manages Still Capital Partners, which he founded in 2014.
Prior to Still Capital Partners, Mr. Still was Co-Managing Partner of six private equity and venture capital funds at Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) until his retirement as Partner Emeritus in 2014. Mr. Still joined Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) in 1989 and became Co-Managing Partner in 1994. While at NVP, Mr. Still was also lead investor and a member of the board of directors of several private and public companies including Rackspace Inc., PeopleSoft Inc., Verio Inc., and Web.com Inc.
Prior to NVP, Mr. Still was a partner at Centennial Ventures. In addition, he previously worked for Ernst & Young. He has also served as a member of the board of directors of the National Venture Capital Association. Mr. Still received a Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University and an M.B.A. from the Tuck School at Dartmouth College, where he has served on the board of advisors as well as Tucks Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital. Mr. Still brings to the board of directors financial and investing acumen through his many years at NVP and Still Capital Partners. His service as an advisor to technology companies provides a valuable resource for our board of directors.
From 2014 to 2017, he was a member of the executive committee and an officer of the United States Golf Association. We believe Mr. Stills substantial experience in investing and with technology companies makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Mark Bradley serves as our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bradley is a founding partner of DBO Partners. He started his career with Morgan Stanley in 1985 after graduating from The University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in Business Administration. He worked for two years as an analyst in the Firms Mergers & Acquisitions department. From 1987 to 1989 he attended Stanford Business School where he earned his Masters in Business Administration. He returned to Morgan Stanley in 1989 as an associate in the Corporate Finance department. Mr. Bradley was the Global Head of Morgan Stanleys Financial Sponsors coverage group for eleven years before becoming Chairman of the Group in 2011.
Bryant Williams serves as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Williams is currently a Managing Director at DBO Partners. He joined DBO Partners as a founding member in 2012. He focuses on M&A and private placement transactions across all industries, with an emphasis on technology. He started his career at Morgan Stanley in the Financial Sponsors Group focusing on M&A and corporate finance advisory services for Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies. Mr. Williams received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
136
Steven Bochner has agreed to serve as an independent director of our board of directors. He is currently a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR), a leading law firm serving the technology and life sciences industry. From 2009-2012 Mr. Bochner served as Chief Executive Officer of WSGR and is currently a member of the firms Board of Directors. In his more than 39 years of experience practicing corporate and securities law, Mr. Bochner has served as lead counsel for many of Silicon Valleys most prominent companies, assisting them in venture capital, public offering, and merger transactions valued in the billions of dollars.
From 2002 to 2009, Mr. Bochner was a lecturer on corporate and securities law at the UC Berkeley School of Law, where he designed and taught the Venture Capital and IPO Law course. From 2012 to 2018, Mr. Bochner served two terms on the Federal Reserve Bank of San Franciscos board of directors . Mr. Bochner has also served on multiple advisory boards, including as chair of the executive committee of the Northwestern Securities Regulation Institute from 2015-2017, as chair of the Nasdaq Listing and Hearing Review Council, where he served as a member, from 1996-2011, and as a member of the Securities and Exchange Commissions advisory committee on smaller public companies from 2005-2006. Mr. Bochner currently serves on the board of directors of KQED and the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. Mr. Bochner received a B.S. in Political Science at San Jose State University in 1977 and his J.D. at UC Berkeley School of Law in 1981. We believe Mr. Bochners substantial experience in corporate and securities law and prior counsel roles make him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Gordon Dean serves as a member of our board of directors. He is a founding partner of DBO Partners. He began his professional career as a securities lawyer in Washington DC focusing on the IPOs of financial institutions. He joined Morgan Stanley in 1986 where he rose to become a Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Investment Banking. He ran the San Francisco Investment Banking operations and was co-head of the firms Western Region.
Mr. Dean has served on a variety of boards, including the Georgetown University Board of Regents as well as the boards of Engineering Change, KnowledgeBeat, the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Zoological Society, where he was Chairman.
Mr. Dean earned an A.B. in Economics from Georgetown University, an M.B.A. from Yale University School of Management, and a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University School of Law, where he was a Patrick Wilson Scholar. We believe Mr. Deans substantial experience in investing and extensive network makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Jorge Titinger has agreed to serve as an independent member of our board of directors. Mr. Titinger is the founder and principal of Titinger Consulting, a private consulting and advisory services firm focused on providing strategy, corporate transformation, and culture advice to its clients. Mr. Titinger served as President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of Silicon Graphics International (SGI) from February 2012 until November 2016, when SGI was acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Previous to SGI, from June 2008 to July 2011, Mr. Titinger held several executive positions at Verigy Ltd., a company in the semiconductor automated test equipment industry, culminating as President, Chief Executive Officer and member of the board. Verigy was acquired by Advantest in 2011. Prior to Verigy, Mr. Titinger was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Product Business Groups at Form Factor, Inc., a company in the probe card technology business, from November 2007 to June 2008. Mr. Titinger previously held executive and general management positions at KLA-Tencor Corporation and Applied Materials, Inc., both companies in the semiconductor equipment industry, MIPS Computer Systems, Inc., a company in the graphics computing industry, and Hewlett Packard Company.
Mr. Titinger served as a director of Xcerra Corporation, a provider of semiconductor and electronics test products and services from 2012 until it was acquired by Cohu, Inc. in 2018. Mr. Titinger currently serves as a director of Cohu, Inc., a supplier of semiconductor test and inspection equipment, a position he has held since October 2017; CalAmp Corp., a provider of mobile resource management telematics systems, software and subscription services for the Internet of Things market, a position he has held since June 2015; and as a director
137
of Axcelis Technologies, Inc., a provider of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment, a position he has held since August of 2019. Mr. Titinger serves on the Board of private and non-profit companies, including the Nashville Entrepreneurship Center and Reno Sub-Systems.
Mr. Titinger holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and an MS degree in Engineering Management, all from Stanford University. We believe Mr. Titingers robust experience in technology and management makes him well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Heidi Ueberroth has agreed to serve as an independent member of our board of directors. Ms. Ueberroth is the President and Managing Partner of Globicon, a private investment and advisory firm focused on the media, sports, entertainment, and hospitality industries. Ms. Ueberroth is also Co-Chairman of the Pebble Beach Company which owns and operates Pebble Beach Resorts. Ms. Ueberroth serves on the board of directors of Electronic Arts and the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a director of several non-profit organizations including the national board of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the First Tee and the Ueberroth Family Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
Ms. Ueberroth has over 30 years of global operational and management expertise. From 1994 to 2013 Ms. Ueberroth served in multiple positions at the National Basketball Association overseeing the leagues international expansion, including as President, NBA International, as President of Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations, and as a member of the board of directors of NBA China, LLC. Prior to the NBA, Ms. Ueberroth held positions with ESPN and Ohlmeyer Communications Company, a global TV production and sports marketing company. She holds a B.A. degree from Vanderbilt University and serves on its Arts and Science Board of Advisors.
We believe Ms. Ueberroths extensive experience in investments, entertainment, and hospitality makes her well qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Our Acquisition Advisory Council
Stillwater maintains an Acquisition Advisory Council comprised of highly experienced and successful CEOs and investors, especially in the technology sector. We believe this advisory group will be useful in the sourcing of potential business combinations and will provide unique perspective given their backgrounds to aid in our diligence and negotiating efforts. In addition, certain members may elect to remain involved with our business combination target as a director or advisor, which we believe will be attractive to potential targets. Principals of DBO Partners affiliated with us initially identified the individuals selected to serve on the AAC.
Mr. David W. Dorman has agreed to serve as chairman of the AAC. He is joined by Mr. Neil Ashe, Mr. Aneel Bhusri, Mr. Doug Dillard, Mr. Egon Durban, Mr. Promod Haque, Mr. Greg Johnson, Mr. Thomas Laffont, Mr. John Marren, Mr. Nicholas Osborne, Mr. Sam Palmisano, Mr. George J. Still, Jr., and Mr. Geoffrey Y. Yang.
Neil Ashe is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Ashe is the CEO of Acuity Brands, a global technology manufacturer, and Principal of Faster Horses, a family office that invests in, operates and advises companies.
Prior to Acuity Brands and Faster Horses, Mr. Ashe was the President and CEO of Walmarts Global eCommerce & Technology Division from 2012-2017, where he helped triple the size of its eCommerce business. Prior to Walmart, Mr. Ashe was a member of the Board of Directors of AMC Networks from 2011-2014. Prior to that, he was the President of CBS Interactive from 2008-2011. He was also the CEO and member of the Board of Directors of CNET Networks from 2006-2008, Executive Vice President from 2006-2008, and Senior Vice President of Strategy & Development from 2002-2005. Mr. Ashe started his career as an Associate at Smith Barney Inc.
Mr. Ashe holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
138
Aneel Bhusri is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Bhusri has been CEO and Co-Founder of Workday, a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance, HR and planning, since 2005.
Mr. Bhusri is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Board of Trustees of Stanford University, and an Advisory Partner of Greylock Partners, where he was a General Partner from 1999-2012. He also previously served on the Board of Directors of Intel Corporation from 2014-2019. Prior to these roles, Mr. Bhusri was a Senior Vice President of PeopleSoft from 1993-1999. He started his career at Morgan Stanley as a Corporate Finance Analyst.
Mr. Bhusri holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Brown University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Egon Durban is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Durban joined Silver Lake in 1999 as a founding principal and is Co-CEO. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Endeavor Group Holdings. He also serves on the board of directors of City Football Group, Dell Technologies, Learfield IMG College, Motorola Solutions, Qualtrics, Twitter, UFC, Unity Software, Verily, VMware and Waymo. Previously, he served on the board of Pivotal Software, SecureWorks, Skype, and was Chairman of its operating committee, served on the supervisory board and operating committee of NXP, and on the board of MultiPlan. Mr. Durban currently serves on the Business Council and Business Roundtable. Prior to Silver Lake, he worked in Morgan Stanleys Investment Banking Division.
Mr. Durban graduated from Georgetown University with a B.S.B.A. in Finance.
Promod Haque is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Haque is a Senior Managing Partner at Norwest Venture Partners, a leading venture capital and growth equity firm where he has served since 1990. In 2014 and 2016, Forbes recognized Mr. Haque as a Hall of Fame investor. He was also recognized on the annual Forbes list in 2017 and 2004, when he was ranked the top venture capitalist based on performance over the previous decade. In 2006, Mr. Haque was presented with a Global Leadership award from NASSCOM, and he was honored with the 2011 SV Forum Visionary Award based on his achievements and contributions to the technology industry.
Mr. Haque currently serves on the board of directors of Copper, SlashNext Inc., ZineOne, Simpplr Inc., Cognitive Scale, Dtex Systems, and Prevedere Inc. He previously served on the board of directors of Health Catalyst, Shape Security, CareCloud, Sulekha.com, Yatra Online, Apigee, Palerra, Cyan Inc., FireEye, Skybox Imaging, Veveo, InsightsOne, Virtela Communications, Persistent Systems, AmberPoint, Cast Iron Systems, Open-Silicon, Yipes Enterprise Services, Extreme Networks, SPSS, Arbortext, Winphoria Networks, Redback Networks, Zettacom, Resonext Corporation, Escalate, OnDisplay Inc., Primus Communications, Transaction Systems Architects, Kiva Software, Corsair Communications, Information Advantage, Showcase Corporation, Cerent Corporation, Siara Systems, Prism Solutions Inc., Raster Graphics, Forte Software, NVE Corporation, PCH International, Brite Semiconductor, Appnomic Systems, and Tivoli Systems.
Prior to his role as Senior Managing Partner of Norwest Venture Partners, Mr. Haque served as CEO of Dimensional Medicine Inc. from 1983-1988, VP of Omnimedical Systems from 1982-1983, and a Director of EMI Medical Inc. He started his career at Siemens as a Sales Engineer from 1969-1972.
Mr. Haque holds a B.S.E.E. in Electrical Engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering, and an M.B.A. in Marketing and Finance and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University.
Greg Johnson is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Johnson has been the Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Franklin Templeton Investments, a global leader in asset management, since 2020. He previously served as CEO beginning in 2004 and President from 1999-2015.
139
Mr. Johnson currently serves or has previously served on the board of directors of Fiduciary Trust Co, Darby Overseas Investments, Command Audio Corp, San Francisco Symphony Inc., Jumpstart, Investment Company Institute, Mutual Fund Forum, and Securities Industry Association. He also previously served as President of the San Francisco Bond Club. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments in 1986, Mr. Johnson worked as a senior accountant for Coopers & Lybrand.
Mr. Johnson holds a Bachelors Degree from Washington & Lee University.
Thomas Laffont is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Laffont has been a Co-Founder of Coatue Management, a global technology-focused investment firm, since 2003. He is responsible for launching and leading the firms private investments across both early stage and growth platforms.
Mr. Laffont holds a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics from Yale University.
John Marren is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Marren is a Senior Managing Director and Vice Chairman at Temasek, a global investment firm with portfolio value of $230 Bn, where he has served since 2017.
Mr. Marren currently serves on the boards of directors of Poshmark, Inc., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Impossible Foods Inc., Infinidat Ltd., Neural Propulsion Systems Inc., U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation and University of California, Santa Barbara. Previously, Mr. Marren has served on the boards of directors of Vertafore Inc., Aptina LLC, Avaya Inc., Sierra Holdings Corp., Freescale Semiconductor Ltd., FIS Data Systems Inc., Conexant Systems LLC, ON Semiconductor Corp., GlobespanVirata Inc., Isola Group SARL, ON Semiconductor Connectivity Solutions Inc., SMART Worldwide Holdings Inc., and SunEdison Inc.
Prior to Temasek, Mr. Marren was the former Head of Technology at TPG Capital, where he worked from 2000-2016. Prior to TPG Capital, Mr. Marren was a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, where he served as Co-Head of the Technology Investment Banking Group from 1996-2000. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Marren was a Managing Director and Senior Semiconductor Research Analyst at Alex Brown & Sons. Prior to Alex Brown, Mr. Marren spent eight years in the semiconductor industry, working for VLSI Technology and Vitesse Semiconductor.
Mr. Marren holds a B.S.E.E. in Engineering from UC Santa Barbara.
Nicholas Osborne is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. He is a founding partner of DBO Partners. Mr. Osbornes banking career spans over 30 years. Prior to co-founding DBO Partners, he was a Managing Director and Head of Global Technology Mergers & Acquisitions at Morgan Stanley. In this role he was responsible for managing relationships and advising on M&A transactions for leading global technology companies including Advanced Micro Devices, Applied Materials, Arcsight, Atmel, CNET, Electronic Arts, Ingram Micro, Intuit, Oracle, Qlogic, Rightnow, Sandisk, and Zappos. He has extensive experience representing both buyers and sellers, structuring and negotiating significant JVs and advising on activist and hostile situations.
Prior to joining Morgan Stanleys Technology M&A Group in 1996, Mr. Osborne worked in the Financial Sponsor Group at Morgan Stanley and the High Yield Finance Group at First Boston. Prior to attending business school, he completed the management program and was corporate finance officer at JP Morgan.
Mr. Osborne is a graduate of Williams College with a B.A. in Economics and of the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College with an M.B.A.
Sam Palmisano is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Palmisano is a director at Exxon Mobil Corporation and the former CEO and Chairman of the IBM Corporation, where he worked from 1973-2012 and was appointed CEO in 2002.
140
Mr. Palmisano held a variety of other roles at IBM including COO, Senior Vice President and Group Executive for IBMs Enterprise Systems Group, Senior Vice President and Group Executive for IBMs Personal Systems Group, and Managing Director for the Personal Computer Company, and Senior Managing Director of Operations for IBM Japan. Mr. Palmisano was also President and CEO of Integrated Systems Solutions Corp. (ISSC) from 1993-1996.
Mr. Palmisano is currently the Chairman of the Center for Global Enterprise.
Mr. Palmisano holds a Bachelors Degree from The Johns Hopkins University.
Geoffrey Y. Yang is a member of our Acquisition Advisory Council. Mr. Yang has served as a founding partner and Managing Director of Redpoint Ventures (a global private equity and venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California) since 1999. Mr. Yang also serves as CEO and founder of Performance Health Sciences (d/b/a Apeiron Life), located in Menlo Park, California. Prior to founding Redpoint, Mr. Yang previously served as a General Partner with Institutional Venture Partners, a private equity and venture capital firm in Menlo Park, California, which he joined in 1987. Mr. Yang has over 35 years of experience in the venture capital industry and has helped found or served on the boards of a variety of consumer media, internet, and infrastructure companies. Mr. Yang also has served on the boards of directors of AT&T since June 2016, Franklin Resources (Franklin Templeton) since March 2011, and Liberty Media Acquisition Corp since January 2021.
Mr. Yang holds a B.S.E. in engineering from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.
Number, Terms of Office and Election of Officers and Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our board of directors will consist of five members. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. 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. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of , , and will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of , , and , will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of , , and , will expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination. Holders of our founder shares will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination, and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the election of directors during such time.
Our officers are elected by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chair or Co-Chairs of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, a Chief Operating Officer, a Secretary and such other offices (including without limitation, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries and a Treasurer) as may be determined from time to time by the board of directors.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An independent director is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the companys board of
141
directors, would interfere with the directors exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have three independent directors as defined in Nasdaq listing rules and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board has determined that each of Steven Bochner, Jorge Titinger, and Heidi Ueberroth are independent directors under applicable SEC and Nasdaq listing rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our formation and initial public offering or activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their affiliates.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other compensation from the combined company. All compensation will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our managements motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination.
Committees of the Board Of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a corporate governance and nominating committee. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. The charter of each committee will be available on our website.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. The members of our audit committee will be Steven Bochner, Jorge Titinger, and Heidi Ueberroth. Jorge Titinger will serve as chair of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that qualifies as an audit committee financial expert as defined in applicable SEC rules. Under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent. Because we expect to list our securities on Nasdaq in connection with our initial
142
public offering, our audit committee must have one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing, and consist of all independent members within one year of listing. Steven Bochner, Jorge Titinger, and Heidi Ueberroth each meet the independent director standard under Nasdaqs listing standards and under Rule 10A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
| reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
| setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm; |
| setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
| obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent auditors internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised |
| by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
| reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
| reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our Compensation Committee will be Steven Bochner, Jorge Titinger, and Heidi Ueberroth. Heidi Ueberroth will serve as chair of the compensation committee. Because we expect to list our securities on Nasdaq in connection with our initial public offering, our compensation committee must have one independent member at the time of listing, a majority of independent members within 90 days of listing, and consist of all independent members within one year of listing. Our board of directors has determined that each of Steven Bochner, Jorge Titinger, and Heidi Ueberroth
143
is independent under Nasdaqs listing standards. We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
| reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officers compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officers performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other officers; |
| reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
| implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
| assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees; |
| producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
| reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will have adopted a code of ethics and business conduct applicable to our directors, officers and employees (our Code of Ethics). A copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us and will also be available on our website. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See Where You Can Find Additional Information.
Corporate Governance Guidelines
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will have adopted a corporate governance guidelines in accordance with the corporate governance rules of Nasdaq that serve as a flexible framework within which our board and its committees operate. These guidelines will cover a number of areas including board membership criteria and director qualifications, director responsibilities, board
144
agenda, roles of the Chair of the board, Chief Executive Officer and presiding director, meetings of independent directors, committee responsibilities and assignments, board member access to management and independent advisors, director communications with third parties, director compensation, director orientation and continuing education, evaluation of senior management and management succession planning. A copy of the corporate governance guidelines will be provided without charge upon request from us and will also be available on our website.
Conflicts of Interest
Each of our officers, directors, and members of the Acquisition Advisory Council presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to at least one other entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor these obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating any legal obligation. Our officers and directors would continue to be subject to all other fiduciary duties owed to us and our stockholders and no other waivers of their respective fiduciary obligations have been provided to any such officers and directors.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
| None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities. |
| In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. For a complete description of our managements other affiliations, see Directors, Director Nominees and Executive Officers. |
| Our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them. Additionally, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. |
145
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until the earlier of (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (2) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization, or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last reported sale price of our common stock shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the shares of common stock underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own common stock shares and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. |
| Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. |
| Our key personnel may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such key personnel was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. |
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
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 have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have, and there will not be any expectancy that any of our directors or officers will offer any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to us. Below is a table
146
summarizing the entities to which our officers, directors and director nominees currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:
Name of Individual |
Entity name |
Entitys business |
Affiliation | |||
George J. Still, Jr. |
Workday, Inc. |
Software |
Vice Chairman | |||
Still Capital Partners |
Investments |
Manager | ||||
Norwest Venture Partners |
Investments |
Partner Emeritus | ||||
D Squared Acquisition LLC |
Investments |
Manager | ||||
Inxeption, Inc |
Software |
Director | ||||
Brightplan LLC |
Financial Advisor |
Director | ||||
Mark Bradley |
DBO Partners |
Banking |
Founding Partner | |||
Bryant Williams |
DBO Partners |
Banking |
Managing Director | |||
Steven Bochner |
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati |
Legal |
Partner and Director | |||
Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center |
Non-Profit |
Director | ||||
KQED |
Non-Profit |
Director | ||||
Gordon Dean |
DBO Partners |
Banking |
Founding Partner | |||
Jorge Titinger |
Titinger Consulting |
Consulting |
Founder and Principal | |||
Cohu, Inc. |
Semiconductors |
Director | ||||
CalAmp Corp. |
Telematics and Software |
Director | ||||
Axcelis Technologies, Inc. |
Semiconductors |
Director | ||||
Nashville Entrepreneurship Center |
Non-Profit |
Director | ||||
Reno Sub-Sytems |
Semiconductors |
Director | ||||
Heidi Ueberroth |
Globicon |
Advisory/Investments |
President and Managing Partner | |||
Pebble Beach Company |
Hospitality |
Co-Chairman | ||||
Electronic Arts |
Video Gaming |
Director | ||||
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts |
Hospitality |
Director | ||||
Boys and Girls Club of America |
Non-Profit |
Director | ||||
First Tee |
Non-Profit |
Director | ||||
Monterey Peninsula Foundation |
Non-Profit |
Director | ||||
Ueberroth Family Foundation |
Non-Profit |
Director |
Accordingly, if any of the above officers or directors become aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the above entities to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors and may very well do so. In the event we seek to complete our initial
147
business combination with such a company, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view. Interested directors will also recuse themselves from any decision-making with respect to such a transaction.
In addition, our sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in the company in connection with the initial business combination, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsors motivation to complete an initial business combination.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares (and their permitted transferees will agree) and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted by the DGCL, unless a director violated his or her duty of loyalty to the company or its stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived improper personal benefit from his or her actions as a director.
We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also permit us to maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will obtain a policy of directors and officers liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors. A stockholders investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
148
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
| each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock; |
| each of our executive officers, directors and director nominees; and |
| all our executive officers, directors and director nominees as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
On February 22, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover for certain offering costs in exchange for 8,625,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. On April 9, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of the three independent director nominees. On March 21, 2022, our sponsor forfeited to us 2,875,000 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 founder shares. The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our common stock owned by our initial stockholders before and after this offering. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial stockholders forfeit 750,000 founder shares on a pro rata basis, and that there are 25,000,000 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.
Name and address of beneficial owner(1) |
Number of |
Approximate |
||||||||||
Before |
After |
|||||||||||
D Squared Sponsor LLC (our sponsor)(3) |
4,925,000 | 98.5 | % | 19.7 | % | |||||||
Mark Bradley |
| | | |||||||||
Steven Bochner |
25,000 | * | * | |||||||||
Gordon Dean |
| | | |||||||||
George J. Still, Jr. |
| | | |||||||||
Jorge Titinger |
25,000 | * | * | |||||||||
Heidi Ueberroth |
25,000 | * | * | |||||||||
Bryant Williams |
| | | |||||||||
All directors, director nominees and executive officers as a group (seven individuals) |
5,000,000 | 100.0 | % | 20.0 | % |
* | Less than one percent. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is 1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor, Burlingame, CA 94010. |
(2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares. Such shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled Description of Securities. |
(3) | Our sponsor is governed by a board of managers consisting of four managers: DBO Partners Acquisition, LLC, George J. Still, Jr., David W. Dorman, and G. Douglas Dillard, Jr. Each director has one vote, and the approval of a majority of the directors is required to approve any action of our sponsor. Under the so-called |
149
rule of three, if voting and dispositive decisions regarding an entitys securities are made by three or more individuals, and a voting or dispositive decision requires the approval of at least a majority of those individuals, then none of the individuals is deemed a beneficial owner of the entitys securities. Based upon the foregoing analysis, no director of our sponsor exercises voting or dispositive control over any of the securities held by our sponsor, even those in which he or she directly holds a pecuniary interest. Accordingly, none of them will be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of such shares. |
Upon the completion of this offering, our initial stockholders will hold 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which will be subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders on a pro-rata basis depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised). Our initial stockholders will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination as a result of holding all of the founder shares. In addition, because of their ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our shares of Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 private placement warrants (or 4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($5,900,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Private placement warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of shares. The purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are subject to the transfer restrictions described below, and will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Our sponsor and its permitted transferees will also have certain registration rights related to the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as described below. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering.
Our sponsor and our officers and directors are deemed to be our promoters as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. See Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares, private placement warrants and any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our initial stockholders. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (1) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if
150
the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property, and (2) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A common stock underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individuals immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individuals immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to our completion of our initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or our sponsors limited liability company agreement, as amended, upon dissolution of our sponsor; or (h) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) above, these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of the majority of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders will have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
151
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On February 22, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover for certain offering costs in exchange for 8,625,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. On April 9, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of the three independent director nominees. On March 21, 2022, our sponsor forfeited to us 2,875,000 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 founder shares. Up to 750,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders on a pro-rata basis depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. Upon the completion of this offering, our initial stockholders will hold 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised). If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our shares of Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Our sponsor does not intend to purchase any units in this offering.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 private placement warrants (or 4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($5,900,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Private placement warrants may be exercised only for a whole number of shares. The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by it until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As more fully discussed in ManagementConflicts 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 then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Our sponsor, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our formation and initial public offering or activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. To date, we have borrowed $200,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of February 28, 2023 and the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,150,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us.
152
Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive officer and director compensation.
On or prior to the closing of this offering, we will enter into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), which is described under the heading Principal StockholdersRegistration Rights.
Related Party Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. Any member of the committee who has an interest in the related party transaction under review by the audit committee shall abstain from voting on the approval of the related party transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the audit committee, participate in some or all of the audit committees discussions of the related party transaction. Upon completion of its review of the related party transaction, the audit committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the related party transaction. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finders fees, reimbursements or cash payments will be made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any of their
153
affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
| Repayment of an aggregate of up to $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses; |
| Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to our formation and initial public offering and identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and |
| Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. |
The above payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith.
154
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our authorized capital stock will consist of 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
The common stock and warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless BofA Securities informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants. Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of the company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly, and no later than four business days, after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option.
Common Stock
Upon the closing of this offering, 25,000,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 750,000 founder shares), including:
| 20,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering; and |
| 5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders. |
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our shares of Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
155
Only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to elect directors or remove directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by the holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. Holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all other matters to be voted on by stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, and vote together as a single class, except as required by law or the applicable rules of Nasdaq.
Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders. Our board of directors 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. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the founder shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors prior to our initial business combination. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them. Permitted transferees of our initial stockholders, officers or directors will be subject to the same obligations.
Unlike some other blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, if a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and we do
156
not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SECs proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our sponsor, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming Excess Shares without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our stockholders inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), or 1,250,001 or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination in order to have such initial business combination approved. Our other directors and officers have also entered into the letter agreement, which imposes the same obligations on them with respect to any public shares acquired by them. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days
157
thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (2) our initial stockholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed: to (a) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (b) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (c) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); (3) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; (4) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; and (5) holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to increase in respect of the issuance
158
of certain securities, as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities (as described herein), are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amount issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the aggregate number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or any of our officers or directors. The term equity-linked securities refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A common stock issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and will provide that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Stockholders Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the date that is 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described below. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly,
159
unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption is available. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and may expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrants. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement registering the issuance, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the redemption or expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a covered security under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
| in whole and not in part; |
| at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| upon not less than 30 days prior written notice of redemption (the 30-day redemption period) to each warrant holder; and |
| if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities as described below) for any 10 trading days within a 20-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30 day
160
redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants.
We have established the $18.00 redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities as described below) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption procedures and cashless exercise. If we call the warrants for redemption as described above under Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its warrant to do so on a cashless basis. In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the fair market value (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. The fair market value shall mean the volume-weighted average price of the Class A 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. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the fair market value in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, our sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such persons affiliates), to the warrant agents actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
161
Anti-dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (1) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) multiplied by (2) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (1) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (2) fair market value means the volume-weighted average price of Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our Class A common stock if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60%
162
of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the market value) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the market value and the newly issued price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination and the newly issued price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and if an exchange or redemption offer has been made to and accepted by such holders (other than an exchange or redemption offer made by the company in connection with redemption rights held by stockholders of the company as provided for in the companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the redemption of shares of Class A common stock by the company if a proposed initial business combination is presented to the stockholders of the company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock, the holder of a warrant will be entitled to receive the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder if such warrant holder had exercised the warrant prior to the expiration of such exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the Class A common stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common equity in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the per share consideration minus Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant.
163
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified check or wire to the warrant agent, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A 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 holders of Class A common stock.
No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under Principal StockholdersTransfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants, to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis and our sponsor and its permitted transferees will also have certain registration rights related to the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants), as described below. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering his, her or its warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the fair market value (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. The fair market value shall mean the volume-weighted average price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor and its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated
164
with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our outstanding common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate Of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least 65% of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who collectively will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:
| if we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as |
165
reasonably possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any); and (3) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law; |
| prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions; |
| although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view; |
| if a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; |
| our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination; |
| if our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; and |
| we will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
166
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemptions) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001, (a) in the case of our initial business combination, either prior to or upon consummation of such initial business combination, or (b) in the case of an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial business combination activity, upon such amendment (in each case so that we do not then become subject to the SECs penny stock rules).
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
We will be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers upon completion of this offering. This statute prevents certain Delaware corporations, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a business combination with:
| a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an interested stockholder); |
| an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or |
| an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. |
A business combination includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:
| our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an interested stockholder, prior to the date of the transaction; |
| after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or |
| on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. 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.
Our authorized but unissued 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 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.
Exclusive Forum for Certain Lawsuits
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent
167
permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our company to our company or our stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director, officer or employee of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director, officer or employee of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) arising under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall concurrently be the sole and exclusive forums. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. Furthermore, the enforceability of choice of forum provisions in other companies certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.
Special Meeting of Stockholders
Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our chief executive officer or by our chair or co-chair, if any.
Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our bylaws provide for advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of our board of directors. In order for any matter to be properly brought before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholders notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders notice. Our bylaws allow the chair of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirers own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of us.
Classified Board of Directors
Our board of directors will initially be divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preferred stock, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.
168
Class B Common Stock Consent Right
For so long as any shares of our Class B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of our Class B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of our Class B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our Class B common stock were present and voted.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering we will have 25,000,000 (or 28,750,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of common stock outstanding on an as converted basis. Of these shares, the 20,000,000 shares (or 23,000,000 shares if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining 5,000,000 (or 5,750,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) founder shares and all 3,933,333 (or 4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that: (1) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale; and (2) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
| 1% of the total number of shares of common stock then outstanding, which will equal 250,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 287,500 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or |
| the average weekly reported trading volume of the common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale. |
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
169
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than a business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
| the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company; |
| the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act; |
| the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and |
| at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company. |
As a result, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares and our sponsor will be able to sell its private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of the majority of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders will have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, Class A common stock and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols SWGCU, SWGC and SWGCW, respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.
170
UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our Class A common stock and warrants issued pursuant to this offering, which we refer to collectively as our securities, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all potential tax effects. Although not entirely clear, we intend to treat, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the holder of a unit as the owner of the one share of the underlying Class A common stock and the one-third of one warrant that are the components of the unit. See Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit below. Assuming such treatment is appropriate, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of our Class A common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A common stock and warrants that constitute the units). The effects of other U.S. federal tax laws, such as estate and gift tax laws, and any applicable state, local or non-U.S. tax laws are not discussed. This discussion is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial decisions, and published rulings and administrative pronouncements of the IRS, in each case in effect as of the date hereof. These authorities may change or be subject to differing interpretations. Any such change or differing interpretation may be applied retroactively in a manner that could adversely affect the tax consequences discussed below. We have not sought and will not seek any rulings from the IRS regarding the matters discussed below. There can be no assurance the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position to that discussed below regarding the tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our units, Class A common stock or warrants.
This discussion is limited to holders that hold our units, Class A common stock and warrants as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address the U.S. federal income tax consequences to our sponsor, officers or directors, or holders of private placement warrants. This discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to a holders particular circumstances, including the impact of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income. In addition, it does not address consequences relevant to holders subject to special rules, including, without limitation:
| banks; |
| certain financial institutions; |
| regulated investment companies and real estate investment trusts; |
| insurance companies; |
| brokers, dealers or traders in securities; |
| traders in securities that elect to mark to market; |
| tax-exempt organizations or governmental organizations; |
| persons subject to the alternative minimum tax; |
| U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; |
| persons holding our units, Class A common stock or warrants as part of a hedge, straddle or other risk reduction strategy or as part of a conversion transaction or other integrated investment; |
| persons that actually or constructively own 5% or more of our stock by vote or value; |
171
| controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax; |
| S corporations, partnerships or other entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and investors therein); |
| persons deemed to sell our units, Class A common stock or warrants under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
| persons who hold or receive our units, Class A common stock or warrants pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation; |
| tax-qualified retirement plans; and |
| qualified foreign pension funds as defined in Section 897(l)(2) of the Code and entities all of the interests of which are held by qualified foreign pension funds. |
If an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our units, Class A common stock or warrants, the tax treatment of an owner of such an entity or arrangement will depend on the status of the owner, the activities of the entity or arrangement and certain determinations made at the owner level. Accordingly, entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes holding our units, Class A common stock or warrants and the owners in such entities or arrangements should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them.
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR UNITS, CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND WARRANTS ARISING UNDER THE U.S. FEDERAL ESTATE OR GIFT TAX LAWS OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.
Personal Holding Company Status
We could be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company (PHC) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporations adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).
Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts, more than 50% of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not be a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, subject to certain adjustments.
172
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments or arrangements similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. For U.S. federal income tax purposes we intend to treat the acquisition of a unit as the acquisition of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one warrant, where one warrant is exercisable to acquire one share of Class A common stock. By purchasing a unit, you will agree to adopt such treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her own tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one warrant should be the holders initial tax basis in such share or one-third of one warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one warrant constituting the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A common stock and the one-third of one warrant based on their respective fair market values at the time of disposition (as determined by each such unit holder based on all the facts and circumstances).
The separation of shares of Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The foregoing U.S. federal income tax treatment of the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants and a holders purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
For purposes of this discussion, a U.S. Holder is any beneficial owner of our units, Class A common stock or warrants that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; |
| an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or |
| a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and the control of one or more United States persons (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code), or (2) has a valid election in effect to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
Distributions. The gross amount of distributions made with respect to the Class A common stock generally will be includible in a U.S. Holders gross income, in accordance with such U.S. Holders method of accounting for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as dividend income, but only to the extent that such distributions are paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. The dividends will be taxable to a corporate U.S. Holder at regular corporate tax rates and will generally be eligible for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied.
173
Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holders basis in its Class A common stock (but not below zero), and to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A common stock, as described under U.S. HoldersGain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants below.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders and with certain exceptions, dividends may be qualified dividend income, which is taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gain rate provided that the U.S. Holder satisfies certain holding period requirements and the U.S. Holder is not under an obligation to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate U.S. Holders may be subject to tax on such dividends at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants. Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our units, Class A common stock or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A common stock or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in the Class A common stock or warrants.
Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holders holding period for the Class A common stock or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. Holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. Holders will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. Holder is an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A common stock or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A common stock or the warrant based upon the then fair market values of the Class A common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock or warrant generally will equal the U.S. Holders adjusted cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A common stock or one-third of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. Holders initial basis for Class A common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Class A common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock. In the event that a U.S. Holders Class A common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section entitled Description of SecuritiesCommon Stock or if we purchase a U.S. Holders share of Class A common stock in an open market transaction, the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend
174
on whether the redemption or purchase by us qualifies as a sale of the Class A common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption or purchase by us qualifies as a sale of Class A common stock, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described under U.S. HoldersGain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants above. Whether a redemption or purchase by us qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption or purchase by us. The redemption or purchase by us of Class A common stock generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A common stock (rather than a corporate distribution) if the redemption or purchase by us (i) is substantially disproportionate with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a complete termination of the U.S. Holders interest in us or (iii) is not essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only our stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any stock the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption or purchase by us of Class A common stock must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption or purchase by us. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the Class A common stock may not be treated as voting shares for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not apply. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holders interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other stock. The redemption or purchase by us of the Class A common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to a U.S. Holder if it results in a meaningful reduction of the U.S. Holders proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption or purchase by us will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holders proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a meaningful reduction. A U.S. Holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption or purchase by us.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption or purchase by us will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under U.S. HoldersDistributions, above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A common stock will be added to the U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. Except as discussed below with respect to the exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of a share of Class A common stock on the exercise of a warrant for cash. A U.S. Holders initial tax basis in a share of our Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. Holders initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holders purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit) and the exercise price. The U.S. Holders holding period for the share of Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the date following
175
the date of exercise of the warrant; however, in either case the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holders tax basis in the warrant.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be nontaxable, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. Holders basis in the share of Class A common stock received would equal the holders basis in the warrants used to effect the cashless exercise. If the cashless exercise is not treated as a realization event, a U.S. Holders holding period in the Class A common stock generally would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise of the warrant). If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A common stock would include the holding period of the warrant.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. Holder could be deemed to have surrendered warrants having an aggregate value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants deemed exercised. The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the value of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holders tax basis in such warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. Holders tax basis in the Class A common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holders initial investment in the warrants deemed exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holders purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit) and the exercise price of such warrants. A U.S. Holders holding period for the Class A common stock in such case generally would commence on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
If we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders WarrantsRedemption of Warrants When the Price Per Share of Class A Common Stock Equals or Exceeds $18.00 or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under U.S. HoldersGain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants.
Possible Constructive Distributions. The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders Warrants. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (for instance, through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities and stock dividends, to the holders of our Class A common stock that is taxable to such holders of our Class A common stock as a distribution. Such constructive distributions would be subject to tax in the same manner as if the U.S. Holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest. For certain informational reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions and publicly report such information or report such information to the IRS and holders of warrants that are not exempt from information reporting. Proposed Treasury Regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
176
U.S. Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Distributions with respect to the Class A common stock to a U.S. Holder and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of the Class A common stock by a U.S. Holder generally are subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible U.S. backup withholding, unless the U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if a U.S. Holder fails to furnish a correct taxpayer identification number or a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a U.S. Holders U.S. federal income tax liability, and such holder may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.
Non-U.S. Holders
For purposes of this discussion, a Non-U.S. Holder is any beneficial owner of our units, Class A common stock or warrants that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
| a non-resident alien individual; |
| a foreign corporation; or |
| a foreign estate or trust. |
Distributions. In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a Non-U.S. Holder with respect to shares of our Class A common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles) will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Amounts not treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes will constitute a return of capital and first be applied against and reduce a Non-U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock, but not below zero. Any excess will be treated as capital gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock and will be treated as described below under Non-U.S. HoldersGain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants.
Subject to the discussion below on effectively connected income, dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder of our Class A common stock will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% of the gross amount of the dividends (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty, provided the Non-U.S. Holder furnishes a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable documentation) certifying qualification for the lower treaty rate). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. Holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such Non-U.S. Holder. A Non-U.S. Holder that does not timely furnish the required documentation, but that qualifies for a reduced treaty rate, may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to benefits under any applicable income tax treaty. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a United States real property holding corporation (see Non-U.S. HoldersGain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, including a distribution in redemption of our Class A common stock treated as a taxable sale of our Class A common stock. See also Non-U.S. HoldersPossible Constructive Distributions for potential U.S. federal tax consequences with respect to constructive distributions.
If dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S.
177
Holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such dividends are attributable), the Non-U.S. Holder will be exempt from the 30% U.S. federal withholding tax described above. To claim the exemption, the Non-U.S. Holder must furnish to the applicable withholding agent a valid IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Any such effectively connected dividends generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected dividends, as adjusted for certain items. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. The U.S. federal income tax characterization of the exercise, redemption or lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. Holder generally will follow the U.S. federal income tax characterization of the exercise, redemption or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described under U.S. HoldersExercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant above, and the tax consequences of such characterizations will be as set forth above and below in this Non-U.S. Holders section.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants. Subject to the discussion below regarding redemptions of Class A common stock, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of any gain realized upon the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock (including a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the date of the closing of this offering) or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case, without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:
| the gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, the Non-U.S. Holder maintains a permanent establishment in the United States to which such gain is attributable); |
| the Non-U.S. Holder is a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met; or |
| we are or have been a United States real property holding corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. Holder held our Class A common stock or warrants, as applicable, and, in the case where shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are treated as regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Class A common stock or more than 5% of warrants, as applicable, at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. Holders holding period for the shares of our Class A common stock or warrants, as applicable. There can be no assurance that our Class A common stock or warrants will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose. |
Gain described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates applicable to a U.S. Holder, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such effectively connected gain, as adjusted for certain items.
Gain described in the second bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by U.S. source capital losses of the Non-U.S. Holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the Non-U.S. Holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.
178
If the third bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Class A common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our United States real property interests equals or exceeds 50 percent of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding potentially applicable income tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock. The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. Holders share of Class A common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled Description of Securities Common Stock generally will follow the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holders Class A common stock, as described under U.S. HoldersRedemption of Class A Common Stock above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. Holder will be as described above under Non-U.S. HoldersDistributions and Non-U.S. HoldersGain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants, as applicable. It is possible that because the applicable withholding agent may not be able to determine the proper characterization of a redemption of a Non-U.S. Holders Class A common stock, the withholding agent might treat the redemption as a distribution subject to withholding tax.
Possible Constructive Distributions. The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders Warrants. An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. Non- U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the Non-U.S. Holders proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (for instance, through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities and stock dividends, to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock that is taxable to such holders of our Class A common stock as a distribution. Such a constructive distribution to a Non-U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as if such Non-U.S. Holder had received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest (taxed as described above under Non-U.S. HoldersDistributions). It is possible that any withholding tax on such a constructive distribution might be satisfied by us or the applicable withholding agent from other distributions to the Non-U.S. Holder, or from proceeds subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Generally, a Non-U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in its warrant would be increased to the extent any such constructive distribution is treated as a dividend. For certain information reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions and publicly report such information or report such information to the IRS and holders of warrants that are not exempt from information reporting. Proposed Treasury Regulations, which taxpayers may generally rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Payments of dividends on our Class A common stock will not be subject to backup withholding, provided the applicable withholding agent does not have actual knowledge or reason to know the holder is a United States person and the holder either certifies its non-U.S. status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or W-8ECI, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with any distributions on our common stock paid to the Non-U.S. Holder, regardless of whether such distributions
179
constitute dividends or whether any tax was actually withheld. In addition, proceeds from a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock and warrants within the United States or conducted through certain U.S.-related brokers generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting if the applicable withholding agent receives the certification described above and does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that such holder is a United States person, or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Proceeds from a disposition of our Class A common stock and warrants conducted through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting.
Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. Holder resides or is established.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a Non-U.S. Holders U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Additional Withholding Tax on Payments Made to Foreign Accounts. Withholding taxes may be imposed under Sections 1471 to 1474 of the Code (such Sections commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA) on certain types of payments made to non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends (including constructive distributions) in respect of our securities, or (subject to the proposed Treasury Regulations discussed below) gross proceeds from the sale or disposition of, our securities, paid to a foreign financial institution or a non-financial foreign entity (each as defined in the Code), unless (1) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations, (2) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any substantial United States owners (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner, or (3) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in (1) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain specified United States persons or United States-owned foreign entities (each as defined in the Code), annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on certain payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules.
Under the applicable Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance, withholding under FATCA generally applies to payments of dividends on our common stock. While withholding under FATCA would have applied also to payments of gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our securities, proposed Treasury Regulations eliminate FATCA withholding on payments of gross proceeds from a sale or other disposition that can produce U.S. source income. Taxpayers generally may rely on these proposed Treasury Regulations until final Treasury Regulations are issued.
Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of withholding under FATCA to their investment in our securities.
THE DISCUSSION ABOVE IS A GENERAL SUMMARY. IT DOES NOT COVER ALL TAX MATTERS THAT MAY BE IMPORTANT TO YOU. EACH PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER SHOULD CONSULT ITS TAX ADVISOR ABOUT THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF AN INVESTMENT IN OUR UNITS, CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND WARRANTS BASED ON THE INVESTORS CIRCUMSTANCES.
180
Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement dated , 2021 we have agreed to sell to the underwriter named below, for whom BofA Securities, Inc. is acting as representative, the following respective numbers of units:
Underwriter |
Number of |
|||
BofA Securities, Inc. |
||||
|
|
|||
Total |
20,000,000 |
The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriter is obligated to purchase all the units in this offering if any are purchased, other than those units covered by the over-allotment option described below.
We have granted to the underwriter a 45-day option to purchase on a pro rata basis up to 3,000,000 additional units at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The option may be exercised only to cover any over-allotments of units.
The underwriter proposes to offer the units initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus and to selling group members at that price less a selling concession of $ per unit.
The following table summarizes the compensation and estimated expenses we will pay.
Per Unit(1) |
Total(1) |
|||||||||||||||
Without |
With |
Without |
With |
|||||||||||||
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions |
$ | 0.55 | $ | 0.55 | $ | 11,000,000 | $ | 12,650,000 |
(1) | Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriter only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus. |
(2) | Of such deferred commissions, at the sole and absolute discretion of our management team, up to $0.0875 per unit, or up to $1,750,000 (or $2,012,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), may be paid to third parties, including parties participating in this offering (but who are members of FINRA or regulated broker-dealers) that assist us in consummating our initial business combination. |
We estimate that our non-reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses for this offering will be approximately $1,150,000. We have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters legal counsel, not to exceed $25,000. The underwriters have agreed to reimburse us for certain expenses for $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full).
The representative has informed us that the underwriter does not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that we will not (x) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of BofA Securities for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, common stock; provided, however, that we may
181
(1) issue and sell the private placement warrants; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters over-allotment option (if any); and (3) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination, or (y) release the sponsor or any officer, director or director nominee from the 180-day lock-up contained in the letter agreement. However, the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of any founder shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of founder shares to any current or future independent director of the company (as long as such current or future independent director transferee is subject to the letter agreement, filed herewith, or executes an agreement substantially identical to the letter agreement, as applicable to officers and directors at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer). BofA Securities in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, rights issuances, consolidations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, amalgamation, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under Principal Stockholder Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under Principal Stockholders Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants).
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriter may be required to make in that respect.
We expect our units to be listed on Nasdaq, under the symbol SWGCU and, once the Class A common stock and warrants begin separate trading, to have our Class A common stock and warrants listed on Nasdaq under the symbols SWGC and SWGCW, respectively.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the representative.
The determination of our per unit offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A common stock or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A common stock or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame, the trustee and the underwriter has agreed that: (1) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account; and (2) the deferred underwriters
182
discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) to the public stockholders.
In connection with this offering, the underwriter may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
| Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. |
| Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriter of units in excess of the number of units the underwriter is obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of units over-allotted by the underwriter is not greater than the number of units that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of units involved is greater than the number of units in the over-allotment option. The underwriter may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option and/or purchasing units in the open market. |
| Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the units in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of units to close out the short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option. If the underwriter sells more units than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. |
| Penalty bids permit the representative to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the units originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions. |
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on Nasdaq or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
We are not under any contractual obligation to the underwriter or one of its affiliates to provide any services for us after this offering, but we may do so at our discretion. However, the underwriter or one of its affiliates may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future, including by acting as a placement agent in a private offering or underwriting or arranging debt financing. If the underwriter or its affiliates provides services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arms length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter or its affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriter or its affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters compensation in connection with this offering. Any fees we may pay the underwriter or its affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may be paid in other than cash. The underwriter or its affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest
183
given that the underwriter is entitled to the deferred portion of their underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.
The underwriter and its affiliates may have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriter and its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriter and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by one or more of the underwriter, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and one or more of the underwriter participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The representative may agree to allocate a number of units to underwriter and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriter and selling group members that will make Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The units are offered for sale in the United States, Europe, Asia and other jurisdictions where it is lawful to make such offers.
The underwriter has represented and agreed that it has not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver any of the units directly or indirectly, or distribute this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, in or from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof and that will not impose any obligations on us except as set forth in the underwriting agreement.
European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each, a Relevant Member State) no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of units may be made to the public in that Relevant Member State of our common stock may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
| to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation; |
| to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the Representative for any such offer; or |
| in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation, provided that no such offer of common stock shall result in a requirement for the publication by us or any underwriter of a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation. |
184
In the case of any units being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the units acquired by it in the offering have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a Relevant Member State to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriter has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.
We, the underwriter and its affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgments and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to our units in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and our common stock to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase our units, and the expression Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
This European Economic Area selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out below.
In connection with the offering, BofA Securities is not acting for anyone other than us and will not be responsible to anyone other than us for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to this offering.
Notice to Investors in the United Kingdom
In relation to the United Kingdom (UK), no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in the UK prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK in accordance with the UK Prospectus Regulation and the FSMA, except that offers of units may be made to the public in the UK at any time under the following exemptions under the UK Prospectus Regulation and the FSMA:
a) | to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the UK Prospectus Regulation; |
b) | to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representatives for any such offer; or |
c) | at any time in other circumstances falling within section 86 of the FSMA, |
provided that no such offer of units shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or Article 3 of the UK Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
Each person in the UK who initially acquires any units or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with the company and the underwriter that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
In the case of any units being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the UK Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the units acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in the UK to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriter has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.
185
We, the underwriter and its affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to any units in the UK means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, the expression UK Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, and the expression FSMA means the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
In connection with the offering, BofA Securities is not acting for anyone other than the issuer and will not be responsible to anyone other than the issuer for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the offering.
This document is for distribution only to persons who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to investments and who qualify as investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the Financial Promotion Order), (ii) are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.) of the Financial Promotion Order, (iii) are outside the UK, or (iv) are persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (FSMA)) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as relevant persons). This document is directed only at relevant persons and must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons.
Notice to Residents of Japan
The underwriter will not offer or sell any of our units directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any Japanese person, except in each case pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, Japanese person means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Notice to Residents of Hong Kong
The underwriter and each of its affiliates have not (1) offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, our units other than (A) to professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance or (B) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a prospectus as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32 of Hong Kong) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance or (2) issued or had in its possession for the purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere any advertisement, invitation or document relating to our units which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance. The contents of this document have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this document, you should obtain independent professional advice.
186
Notice to Residents of Singapore
This prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units has not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the units will be offered in Singapore pursuant to exemptions under Section 274 and Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the Securities and Futures Act). Accordingly our units may not be offered or sold, or be the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to the public or any member of the public in Singapore other than (a) to an institutional investor or other person specified in Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, (b) to a sophisticated investor, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act or (c) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the Securities and Futures Act.
Singapore Securities and Futures Act Product ClassificationSolely for the purposes of its obligations pursuant to sections 309B(1)(a) and 309B(1)(c) of the SFA, the Company has determined, and hereby notifies all relevant persons (as defined in Section 309A of the SFA) that the notes are prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the Securities and Futures (Capital Markets Products) Regulations 2018) and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).
Notice to Residents of Germany
Each person who is in possession of this prospectus is aware that no German sales prospectus (Verkaufsprospekt) within the meaning of the Securities Sales Prospectus Act (Wertpapier-Verkaufsprospektgesetz, the Act) of the Federal Republic of Germany has been or will be published with respect to our units. In particular, the underwriter has represented that it has not engaged and has agreed that it will not engage in a public offering (offentliches Angebot) within the meaning of the Act with respect to any of our units otherwise then in accordance with the Act and all other applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
Notice to Residents of France
The units are being issued and sold outside the Republic of France and that, in connection with their initial distribution, it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell, directly or indirectly, any units to the public in the Republic of France, and that it has not distributed and will not distribute or cause to be distributed to the public in the Republic of France this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, and that such offers, sales and distributions have been and will be made in the Republic of France only to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) in accordance with Article L.411-2 of the Monetary and Financial Code and decrét no. 98-880 dated October 1, 1998.
Notice to Residents of the Netherlands
Our units may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered in or from the Netherlands as part of their initial distribution or at any time thereafter, directly or indirectly, other than to, individuals or legal entities situated in The Netherlands who or which trade or invest in securities in the conduct of a business or profession (which includes banks, securities intermediaries (including dealers and brokers), insurance companies, pension funds, collective investment institution, central governments, large international and supranational organizations, other institutional investors and other parties, including treasury departments of commercial enterprises, which as an ancillary activity regularly invest in securities; hereinafter, Professional Investors); provided that in the offer, prospectus and in any other documents or advertisements in which a forthcoming offering of our units is publicly announced (whether electronically or otherwise) in The Netherlands it is stated that such offer is and will be exclusively made to such Professional Investors. Individual or legal entities who are not Professional Investors may not participate in the offering of our units, and this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units may not be considered an offer or the prospect of an offer to sell or exchange our units.
187
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
Notice to Canadian Residents
Resale Restrictions
The distribution of units in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these securities are made. Any resale of the units in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the securities.
Representations of Canadian Purchasers
By purchasing units in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:
| the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the units without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an accredited investor as defined under National Instrument 45-106Prospectus Exemptions; |
| the purchaser is a permitted client as defined in National Instrument 31-103Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations; |
| where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent; and |
| the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions. |
Conflicts of Interest
Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that BofA Securities is relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.
Statutory Rights of Action
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory. The purchaser of these securities in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Enforcement of Legal Rights
All of our officers and directors as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon
188
us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.
Taxation and Eligibility for Investment
Canadian purchasers of units should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the units in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the units for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
The units may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the units or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company, or the units have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of units will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of units has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (CISA). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of units.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre
This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The units to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the units offered should conduct their own due diligence on the units. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the Corporations Act), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.
Any offer in Australia of the units may only be made to persons (the Exempt Investors) who are sophisticated investors (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), professional investors (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the units without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.
189
The units applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring units must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.
This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
190
Latham & Watkins LLP is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus. Certain legal matters will be passed upon on behalf of the underwriters by Ropes & Gray LLP.
The financial statements of Stillwater Growth Corp. I as of December 31, 2021 and for the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 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 Stillwater Growth Corp. I 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 experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
191
Page |
||||
F-2 | ||||
F-3 | ||||
F-4 | ||||
F-5 | ||||
F-6 | ||||
F-7 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders deficit, and cash flows for the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1, the Companys ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has working capital deficit as of December 31, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern. Managements plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Companys management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Companys financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Companys internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
We have served as the Companys auditor since 2021.
Boston, MA
April 25, 2022
F-2
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
December 31, 2021
Assets: |
||||
Current assets: |
||||
Cash |
$ | 26,031 | ||
|
|
|||
Total current assets |
26,031 | |||
Deferred offering costs associated with proposed public offering |
661,544 | |||
|
|
|||
Total assets |
$ | 687,575 | ||
|
|
|||
Liabilities and Stockholders Deficit: |
||||
Current liabilities: |
||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 439,233 | ||
Accrued expenses |
56,642 | |||
Franchise tax payable |
5,006 | |||
Note payable - related party |
200,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Total current liabilities |
700,881 | |||
|
|
|||
Commitments and Contingencies |
||||
Stockholders Deficit: |
||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding |
| |||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding |
| |||
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 shares issued and outstanding(1)(2) |
575 | |||
Additional paid-in capital |
24,425 | |||
Accumulated deficit |
(38,306 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
Total stockholders deficit |
(13,306 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
Total Liabilities and Stockholders Deficit |
$ | 687,575 | ||
|
|
(1) | This number includes up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. |
(2) | On March 21, 2022, the Sponsor forfeited to the Company 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-3
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
For the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021
General and administrative expenses |
$ | 33,300 | ||
Franchise tax expenses |
5,006 | |||
|
|
|||
Net loss |
$ | (38,306 | ) | |
|
|
|||
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1)(2) |
5,000,000 | |||
|
|
|||
Basic and diluted net loss per share |
$ | (0.01 | ) | |
|
|
(1) | This number excludes an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. |
(2) | On March 21, 2022, the Sponsor forfeited to the Company 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-4
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS DEFICIT
For the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021
Common Stock |
Total |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class A |
Class B |
Additional |
Accumulated |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares |
Amount |
Shares |
Amount |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
BalanceFebruary 11, 2021 (inception) |
| $ | | | $ | | $ | | $ | - | $ | | ||||||||||||||||
Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor(1)(2) |
| | 5,750,000 | 575 | 24,425 | | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
| | | | | (38,306 | ) | (38,306 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
BalanceDecember 31, 2021 |
| $ | | 5,750,000 | $ | 575 | $ | 24,425 | $ | (38,306 | ) | $ | (13,306 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) | This number includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters. |
(2) | On March 21, 2022, the Sponsor forfeited to the Company 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-5
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
For the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: |
||||
Net loss |
$ | (38,306 | ) | |
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||
Accounts payable |
13,074 | |||
Franchise tax payable |
5,006 | |||
|
|
|||
Net cash used in operating activities |
(20,226 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: |
||||
Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor |
25,000 | |||
Proceeds from note payable to related party |
200,000 | |||
Deferred offering costs paid |
(178,743 | ) | ||
|
|
|||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
46,257 | |||
|
|
|||
Net increase in cash |
26,031 | |||
Cash - beginning of the period |
| |||
|
|
|||
Cash - end of the period |
$ | 26,031 | ||
|
|
|||
Supplemental disclosure of noncash activities: |
||||
Deferred offering costs included in accounts payable |
$ | 426,159 | ||
Deferred offering costs included in accrued expenses |
$ | 56,642 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
F-6
Note 1Description of Organization, Business Operations and Going Concern
Stillwater Growth Corp. I, formerly known as DBO Acquisition Corp. I, (the Company) was incorporated in Delaware on February 11, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the Business Combination). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Companys formation and the proposed initial public offering (Proposed Public Offering), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Companys ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (the Units and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the Public Shares) at $10.00 per Unit (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriters option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of 3,933,333 warrants (or 4,233,333 warrants if the underwriters option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) (the Private Placement Warrants) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Sponsor), that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.
The Companys management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete a Business Combination with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into a Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (Trust Account), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account, as described below.
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the Public Stockholders) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business
F-7
Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). The per-share amount to be distributed to Public Stockholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriter (as discussed in Note 6). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Companys warrants.
All of the Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the initial Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association). In accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 480 Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (ASC 480), paragraph 10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require ordinary shares subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Accordingly, all of the Public Shares will be presented as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders equity section of the Companys balance sheet. Given that the Public Shares will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated amount of the proceeds. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company will elect to recognize the changes in redemption value immediately. The change in redemption value will be recognized as a one-time charge against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit. While redemptions cannot cause the Companys net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, the Public Shares are redeemable and will be classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place.
If a stockholder vote in favor of the Business Combination is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transactions is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Companys Sponsor, officers and directors will agree to vote their Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
If the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a group (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing
F-8
of the Companys obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
The Company will have 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the Combination Period), or during any extended time that the Company has to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend the amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an Extension Period). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any Extension Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Companys remaining stockholders and the Companys board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Companys obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Companys warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any Extension Period.
The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any Extension Period. However, if the Sponsor or any of its affiliates acquire Public Shares after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any Extension Period. The underwriter has agreed to waive its right to its deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any Extension Period, and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per Public Share or (ii) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Companys indemnity of the underwriter of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Going Concern Consideration
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had approximately $26,000 in cash and a working capital deficiency of approximately $675,000. Further, the Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur
F-9
significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. Management plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering. The Company cannot assure that its plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful.
These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern for one year following the issuance of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from its inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or its inability to continue as a going concern.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Companys financial position, results of its operations, close of the Proposed Public Offering and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. These financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Note 2Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Companys financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Companys management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
F-10
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 those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs associated with the Proposed Public Offering
Deferred offering costs consists of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that were directly related to the Proposed Public Offering. Deferred offering costs will be allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Proposed Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Deferred offering costs associated with warrants will be charged against stockholders equity upon closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Deferred offering costs associated with the Class A common stock will be charged against the carrying value of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, Income Taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.
The provision for income taxes was deemed to be immaterial for the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Net Loss Per Share
Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 750,000 shares of Class B common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the option to purchase additional units is not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 5). As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares of 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.
F-11
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on this account.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Companys assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Fair Value Measurements
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers include:
| Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets; |
| Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and |
| Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. |
In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its equity-linked financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging. For derivative financial instruments that are classified as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recognized at fair value with subsequent changes in fair value recognized in the statements of operations each reporting period. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be classified as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period.
The Company will account for the 10,600,000 warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (including 6,666,667 Public Warrants and 3,933,333 Private Placement Warrants, assuming the underwriters over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that the warrants described above are not precluded from equity classification. Equity-classified contracts are initially measured at fair value (or allocated value). Subsequent changes in fair value are not recognized as long as the contracts continue to be classified in equity.
F-12
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions (the Over-allotment option). The Over-allotment option will be recognized as a derivative liability in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, the Company will recognize the instrument as a liability at fair value and adjusts the instrument to fair value at each reporting period.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2020-06, Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entitys Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entitys Own Equity (ASU 2020-06), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company is currently assessing the impact of electing this standard on its financial statements and related disclosures and does not expect the impact to be material.
The Companys management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards if currently adopted would have a material effect on the accompanying financial statements.
Note 3Proposed Public Offering
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 20,000,000 Units (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant (Public Warrant). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
Note 4Private Placement
The Sponsor will agree to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 Private Placement Warrants (or 4,233,333 Private Placement Warrants if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $5.9 million, or approximately $6.4 million if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.
Each Private Placement Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Placement Warrants (see Note 7).
Note 5Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On February 22, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to purchase 8,625,000 shares of the Companys Class B common stock (the Founder Shares). On March 21, 2022, the Sponsor forfeited to the Company 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender. The Founder Shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain adjustments, as described in Note 7. The Founder Shares include an aggregate
F-13
of up 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full or in part, so that the holders of Class B common stock will own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Companys issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).
On April 9, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of the three independent director nominees. The sale of the Founder Shares is in the scope of FASB ASC Topic 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation (ASC 718). Under ASC 718, stock-based compensation associated with equity-classified awards is measured at fair value upon the grant date. The Founders Shares were granted subject to a performance condition (i.e., the occurrence of a Business Combination). Compensation expense related to the Founders Shares is recognized only when the performance condition is probable of occurrence under the applicable accounting literature in this circumstance. As of December 31, 2021, the Company determined that a Business Combination is not considered probable, and, therefore, no stock-based compensation expense has been recognized. Stock-based compensation would be recognized at the date a Business Combination is considered probable (i.e., upon consummation of a Business Combination) in an amount equal to the number of Founders Shares that ultimately vest multiplied times the grant date fair value per share (unless subsequently modified) less the amount initially received for the purchase of the Founders Shares.
The Sponsor will agree, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Companys stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Related Party Loans
The Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Proposed Public Offering, dated on February 22, 2021 and was later amended on February 27, 2022 (the Promissory Note). The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of February 28, 2023 or the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. As of December 31, 2021, the Company borrowed $200,000 under the Promissory Note.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Companys officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (Working Capital Loans). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lenders discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
Note 6Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of the majority of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the
F-14
exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of Proposed Public Offering, requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to Class A common stock). The holders of the majority of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain piggy-back registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day over-allotment option from the date of Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $4.0 million in the aggregate (or $4.6 million in the aggregate if the underwriters option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriter will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $7.0 million in the aggregate (or approximately $8.1 million in the aggregate if the underwriters option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriter from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement. The underwriters have also agreed to reimburse the Company for certain expenses for $1.0 million (or approximately $1.2 million if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full).
Note 7Stockholders Deficit
Preferred StockThe Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Companys board of directors. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class A Common StockThe Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.
Class B Common StockThe Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of December 31, 2021, there were 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, which amount has been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender on March 21, 2022 as discussed in Note 5. Of the 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding, up to 750,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full or in part, so that the holders of Class B common stock will own 20% of the Companys issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).
Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, except as required by law.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of the initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to increase in respect of the issuance of certain securities, as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities (as described herein), are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amount issued in the
F-15
Proposed Public Offering and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the aggregate number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, plus the aggregate number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business Combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with the initial Business Combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any private placement warrants issued to the Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor or any of the officers or director.
WarrantsAs of December 31, 2021, there was no warrants outstanding. Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the date that is 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, provided that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or the Company permits holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the public warrant agreement).
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days, after the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a covered security under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will be required to use its best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the Newly Issued Price), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of Class A common stock during the 20-trading day period starting on the trading day after to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price, the Market Value) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the Public Warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under Description of SecuritiesWarrantsPublic Stockholders WarrantsRedemption of
F-16
warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
Redemptions of Warrants When the Price Per Share of Class A Common Stock Equals or Exceeds
$18.00Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
| in whole and not in part; |
| at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
| upon not less than 30 days prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
| if, and only if, the last reported sale price of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities as described above) for any 10 trading days within a 20-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
The Company will not redeem the Public Warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the Public Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption for cash, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a cashless basis. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period or during any Extension Period, and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Public Warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Companys assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the Public Warrants may expire worthless.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable and may be exercised on a cashless basis at the option of the holder.
Note 8Subsequent Events
The Company has evaluated subsequent events that occurred after the balance sheet date up to April 25, 2022, the date the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any other subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements, except as noted below.
On March 21, 2022, the Sponsor forfeited to the Company 2,875,000 shares of Class B common stock, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.
On February 27, 2022, the Company amended its Promissory Note to extend the maturity date from February 28, 2022 to February 28, 2023.
F-17
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
20,000,000 Units
Until , 2022, 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 an underwriter and with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.
PART II
Information not required in prospectus
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
SEC expenses |
$ | 52,068 | ||
FINRA expenses |
72,088 | |||
Accounting fees and expenses |
58,000 | |||
Printing and engraving expenses |
35,000 | |||
Travel and road show expenses |
10,000 | |||
Transfer agent fees |
42,000 | |||
Nasdaq listing and filing fees |
80,000 | |||
Legal fees |
600,000 | |||
Miscellaneous |
200,844 | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
$ | 1,150,000 | ||
|
|
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.
Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.
(a) | A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the persons conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the persons conduct was unlawful. |
(b) | A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys fees) actually and |
II-1
reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper. |
(c) | To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith. |
(d) | Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders. |
(e) | Expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate. |
(f) | The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such persons official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred. |
(g) | A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by |
II-2
such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such persons status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section. |
(h) | For purposes of this section, references to the corporation shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued. |
(i) | For purposes of this section, references to other enterprises shall include employee benefit plans; references to fines shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to serving at the request of the corporation shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner not opposed to the best interests of the corporation as referred to in this section. |
(j) | The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person. |
(k) | The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporations obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys fees). |
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL, unless a director violated his or her duty of loyalty to the company or its stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived
II-3
improper personal benefit from his or her actions as a director. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a directors duty of care.
If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorneys fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses.
The right to indemnification which will be conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.
The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
II-4
Our bylaws include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those which will be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.
We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as Exhibit 10.7 to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 15. Recent Sales Of Unregistered Securities.
On February 22, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover for certain offering costs in exchange for 8,625,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.003 per share. On April 9, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of the three independent director nominees. On March 21, 2022, our sponsor forfeited to us 2,875,000 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate outstanding amount of 5,750,000 founder shares. Up to 750,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders on a pro-rata basis depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding common stock upon completion of this offering. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase from us an aggregate of 3,933,333 (or 4,233,333 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at $1.50 per warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $5,900,000 or $6,350,000 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.
II-5
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) | Exhibits. |
+ | To be filed by amendment. |
* | Previously filed. |
(b) | Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements and schedules included in the registration statement. |
II-6
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser. |
(b) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
(c) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that: |
(1) | For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective. |
(2) | For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
(3) | For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
(4) | For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following |
communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser: |
(i) | Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; |
II-7
(ii) | Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant; |
(iii) | The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and |
(iv) | Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
II-8
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 the registrant has duly caused this amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Burlingame, State of California, on April 25, 2022.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I | ||
By: | /s/ Mark Bradley | |
Name: | Mark Bradley | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature |
Title |
Date | ||
* George J. Still, Jr. |
Chairman |
April 25, 2022 | ||
/s/ Mark Bradley Mark Bradley |
Chief Executive Officer |
April 25, 2022 | ||
/s/ Bryant Williams Bryant Williams |
Chief Financial
Officer |
April 25, 2022 | ||
* Gordon Dean |
Director |
April 25, 2022 |
*By: | /s/ Mark Bradley | |
Attorney-in-fact |
II-9
Exhibit 1.1
20,000,000 Units
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock,
par value $0.0001 per share, and one-third of one redeemable warrant
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
, 2022
, 2022
BofA Securities, Inc.
As Representative of the several Underwriters
c/o BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Stillwater Growth Corp. I., a Delaware corporation (the Company), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the Underwriters) an aggregate of 20,000,000 units of the Company (the Firm Securities). Each unit (Unit(s)) consists of one share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (Share(s)) and one-third of one redeemable warrant of the Company, where each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Share (the Warrant(s)). The Company also proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters not more than an additional 3,000,000 Units (the Additional Securities) if and to the extent that BofA Securities, Inc., as Representative (the Representative) of the Offering (as defined below), shall have determined to exercise, on behalf of the Underwriters, the right to purchase such Units granted to the Underwriters in Section 2 hereof. The Firm Securities and the Additional Securities are hereinafter collectively referred to as the Securities. For purposes of this Agreement, to the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule I other than the Representative, the terms Representative and Underwriters as used herein shall mean the Representative.
The Shares and Warrants included in the Units will not trade separately until the 52nd day following the date of the Prospectus (as defined below) (unless the Representative informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading), subject to (a) the Companys preparation of an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering, (b) the filing of such audited balance sheet with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) on a Current Report on Form 8-K or similar form by the Company that includes such audited balance sheet, and (c) the Company having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Each Warrant entitles its holder, upon exercise, to purchase one Share at a price of $11.50 during the period commencing thirty (30) days after the completion of the Companys initial Business Combination (as defined below) and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the date of the completion of such initial Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. As used herein, the term Business Combination (as described more fully in the Prospectus) shall mean a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses involving the Company.
The Company has entered into an Investment Management Trust Agreement, effective as of [], 2022, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (CST), as trustee, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the Registration Statement (the Trust Agreement), pursuant to which certain proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below) and the proceeds of the Offering will be deposited and held in a Trust Account (the Trust Account) for the benefit of the Company, the Underwriters and the holders of the Firm Securities and the Additional Securities, if and when issued.
The Company has entered into a Public Warrant Agreement, effective as of [], 2022, with respect to the Warrants, with CST, as warrant agent, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement (the Public Warrant Agreement), and a Private Warrant Agreement, effective as of [], 2022, with respect to the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below) with CST, as warrant agent, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 4.5 to the Registration Statement (the Private Warrant Agreement, and together with the Public Warrant Agreement, the Warrant Agreements), pursuant to which CST will act as warrant agent in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption, and exercise of the Warrants and Private Placement Warrants.
The Company has entered into a Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of February 22, 2021, as amended on March 21, 2022, filed as Exhibits 10.3 and 10.4, respectively, to the Registration Statement (the Founders Purchase Agreement), with D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Sponsor), pursuant to which the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (including the Shares issuable upon conversion thereof, the Founder Shares), for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. The Founder Shares are substantially similar to the Shares included in the Units except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus (as defined below).
1
The Company has entered into a Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement, effective as of the date hereof, with the Sponsor, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.5 to the Registration Statement (the Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase an aggregate of 3,933,333 warrants (or 4,233,333 warrants if the Underwriters option to purchase Additional Securities is exercised in full) for $1.50 per warrant (the Private Placement Warrants), each Private Placement Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Share at a price of $11.50 per Share. The Private Placement Warrants are substantially similar to the Warrants included in the Units, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
The Company has entered into a Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of [], 2022, with the Sponsor and the other parties thereto, in substantially the form filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Registration Statement (the Registration Rights Agreement), pursuant to which the Company has granted certain registration rights in respect of the Founder Shares, the Private Placement Warrants and the Shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants and the warrants (which will be substantially similar to the Private Placement Warrants) that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans.
The Company has caused to be duly executed and delivered a letter agreement, dated as of [], 2022, by and among the Sponsor and each of the Companys officers and directors, substantially in the form filed as Exhibit 10.8 to the Registration Statement (the Insider Letter).
The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement, including a prospectus, relating to the Securities. The registration statement as amended at the time it becomes effective, including the information (if any) deemed to be part of the registration statement at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), is hereinafter referred to as the Registration Statement; the prospectus in the form first used to confirm sales of Securities (or in the form first made available to the Underwriters by the Company to meet requests of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) is hereinafter referred to as the Prospectus. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement to register additional Units pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the Rule 462 Registration Statement), then any reference herein to the term Registration Statement shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement.
For purposes of this Agreement, free writing prospectus has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, Time of Sale Prospectus means the preliminary prospectus together with the documents and pricing information set forth in Schedule II hereto. As used herein, the terms Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, Time of Sale Prospectus and Prospectus shall include the documents, if any, incorporated by reference therein as of the date hereof.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to and agrees with each of the Underwriters that:
(a) The Registration Statement has become effective; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement is in effect, and no proceedings for such purpose are pending before or threatened by the Commission.
(b) (i) The Registration Statement, when it became effective, did not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (ii) the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, (iii) the Time of Sale Prospectus does not, and at the time of each sale of the Securities in connection with the Offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and at the Closing Date (as defined in Section 4), the Time of Sale Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented by the Company, if applicable, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
2
omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (iv) each broadly available road show, if any, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and (v) the Prospectus does not contain and, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that the representations and warranties set forth in this paragraph do not apply to statements or omissions in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein.
(c) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement and (ii) as of the Closing Date, the Company was and is an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405). The Company has not prepared or used a free writing prospectus.
(d) The Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (file number []) providing for the registration under the Exchange Act (as defined below) of the Securities, the Shares included as part of the Securities and the Warrants included as part of the Securities, which registration is currently effective on the date hereof. The Securities have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect such authorization.
(e) The Company has been duly incorporated, is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, has the corporate power and authority to own or lease its property and to conduct its business as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and to enter into this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreements, the Founders Purchase Agreement, the Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and the Insider Letter and to carry out the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not have a material adverse effect on the Company.
(f) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(g) The Trust Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, or similar laws affecting creditors rights generally from time to time in effect and by equitable principles of general applicability (the Enforceability Exceptions).
(h) The Warrant Agreements have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and are valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.
(i) The Founders Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.
(j) The Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor, enforceable against the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.
3
(k) The Registration Rights Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.
(l) The Insider Letter executed by the Company, the Sponsor and each executive officer, director, and director nominee of the Company, has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor and each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, and is a valid and binding agreement of the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor and each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, enforceable against the Company and, to the Companys knowledge, the Sponsor and each such executive officer, director and director nominee, respectively, in accordance with its terms except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.
(m) The authorized equity capitalization of the Company conforms as to legal matters to the description thereof contained in each of the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(n) The Founder Shares have been duly authorized and are validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The sales of the Founder Shares by the Company were based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such Founder Shares, exempt from the registration requirements under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities and blue sky laws. The holders of the Founder Shares are not entitled to preemptive or other rights to subscribe for the Securities; and, except as set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no options, warrants or other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for, shares or other ownership interests in the Company are outstanding.
(o) The Units to be sold by the Company have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be validly issued, and the issuance of such Units will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.
(p) The Shares included in each of the Units have been duly authorized and, when issued and delivered against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the issuance of such Shares will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights.
(q) The Warrants included in each of the Units, when issued and delivered in the manner set forth in the Warrant Agreements against payment for the Securities by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, will be duly issued and delivered, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.
(r) The Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in each of the Units and the Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon exercise thereof and, when issued and delivered against payment therefor pursuant to the Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants, and the Warrant Agreements, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The holders of such Shares are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the issuance of such Shares are not and will not be subject to any preemptive or similar rights; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of such Shares (other than such delivery at the time of issuance) has been duly and validly taken.
4
(s) The certificates for the Shares are in valid and proper form.
(t) The Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized and, when delivered upon the consummation of the Offering, will be duly issued, and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforceability thereof may be limited by the Enforceability Exceptions.
(u) The execution and delivery by the Company of, and the performance by the Company of its obligations under, this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreements, the Founders Purchase Agreement, the Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and the Insider Letter will not contravene any provision of applicable law or the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or bylaws of the Company or any agreement or other instrument binding upon the Company that is material to the Company, or any judgment, order or decree of any governmental body, agency or court having jurisdiction over the Company, and no consent, approval, authorization or order of, or qualification with, any governmental body or agency is required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreements, the Founders Purchase Agreement, the Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and the Insider Letter, except such as may be required by (i) the securities or Blue Sky laws of the various states in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities, (ii) the Conduct Rules of FINRA, (iii) any listing applications and related consents or any notices required by the Nasdaq Capital Market in the ordinary course of the offering of the Units or (iv) filings with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act.
(v) There has not occurred any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company, from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(w) There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened to which the Company or the Sponsor is a party or to which any of the properties of the Company or the Sponsor is subject (i) other than proceedings accurately described in all material respects in the Time of Sale Prospectus and proceedings that would not have a material adverse effect on the Company, or on the power or ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated by the Time of Sale Prospectus or (ii) that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and are not so described; and there are no statutes, regulations, contracts or other documents that are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement that are not described or filed as required.
(x) Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the registration statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Securities Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(y) The Company is not, and after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Prospectus will not be, required to register as an investment company as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(z) There are no contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person granting such person the right to require the Company to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to any securities of the Company except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or to require the Company to include such securities with the Securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(aa) (i) None of the Company, the Sponsor or, to the Companys knowledge, any affiliate of the Company, or any director, officer, or employee of the Company or the Sponsor, or any agent or representative of the Company or the Sponsor or of any of the Companys affiliates, has taken or will take any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment,
5
giving or receipt of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any government official (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) (Government Official) in order to influence official action, or to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws or otherwise taken any action, directly or indirectly, that would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder; (ii) the Company, the Sponsor and, to the Companys knowledge, the Companys affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintained and will continue to maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and with the representations and warranties contained herein; and (iii) the Company will not use, directly or indirectly, the proceeds of the Offering in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any person in violation of any applicable anti-corruption laws.
(bb) The operations of the Company and the Sponsor are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company conducts business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the Anti-Money Laundering Laws), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(cc) (i) None of the Company, the Sponsor or, to the Companys knowledge, any director, officer, or employee of the Company, or any agent, affiliate or representative of the Company, is an individual or entity (Person) that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more Persons that are:
(A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, Her Majestys Treasury, or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, Sanctions), or
(B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
(ii) The Company will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the Offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person:
(A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or
(B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person (including any Person participating in the Offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
(iii) The Company has not knowingly engaged in, is not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.
6
(dd) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, (i) the Company has not incurred any material liability or obligation, direct or contingent, nor entered into any material transaction; (ii) the Company has not purchased any of its outstanding securities, nor declared, paid or otherwise made any dividend or distribution of any kind on its securities other than ordinary and customary dividends; and (iii) there has not been any material change in the equity securities, short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company, except in each case as described in each of the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, respectively.
(ee) The Company does not own any property; the property described in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus as being available for use by the Company is available for use thereby under a valid and enforceable agreement.
(ff) No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company exists, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent.
(gg) The Company possesses all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate U.S. federal, state or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct its business, and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such certificate, authorization or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a material adverse effect on the Company, except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(hh) The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with managements general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with managements general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Companys internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Companys internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Companys internal control over financial reporting.
(ii) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Company has not sold, issued or distributed any securities during the six-month period preceding the date hereof, including any sales pursuant to Rule 144A under, or Regulation D or S of, the Securities Act.
(jj) Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities that are required to be integrated pursuant to the Securities Act with the offer and sale of the Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(kk) The Company has filed all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or has requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect) and has paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not have a material adverse effect, or, except as currently being contested in good faith and for which reserves required by. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) have been created in the financial statements of the Company), and no tax deficiency has been determined adversely to the Company which has had (nor does the Company have any notice or knowledge of any tax deficiency which could reasonably be expected to be determined adversely to the Company and which could reasonably be expected to have) a material adverse effect.
(ll) There are no transfer, stamp, issue, registration, documentary or other similar taxes, duties, fees or charges under U.S. federal law or the laws of any state, or any political subdivision thereof, or under the laws of any non-U.S. jurisdiction, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Securities.
7
(mm) No governmental approvals are currently required in order for the Company to pay dividends, interest attributable to stockholders equity or other distributions declared by the Company to the holders of Common Stock.
(nn) From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission (or, if earlier, the first date on which the Company engaged directly or through any person authorized to act on its behalf in any Testing-the-Waters Communication) through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an Emerging Growth Company). Testing-the-Waters Communication means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Securities Act; and any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act is hereinafter called a Written Testing-the-Waters Communication.
(oo) The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7), (a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(12), or (a)(13) (where for (a)(13), only family clients that are institutions) under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representative to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representative has been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company has not distributed any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule III hereto.
(pp) As of the time of each sale of the Securities in connection with the Offering when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers, none of (A) the Time of Sale Prospectus, and (B) any individual Testing-the-Waters Communication, when considered together with the Time of Sale Prospectus, included, includes or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted, omits or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(qq) The historical financial statements, including the notes thereto and the supporting schedules, if any, of the Company included in the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement present fairly the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and have been prepared in conformity with GAAP applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein). The summary financial data set forth under the caption SummarySummary Financial Data in the Time of Sale Prospectus, Prospectus and Registration Statement fairly present, on the basis stated in the Time of Sale Prospectus, Prospectus and Registration Statement, the information included therein. The Company is not party to any off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), or other relationships with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Companys financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.
(rr) Marcum LLP (Marcum), who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and delivered their report with respect to the audited financial statements and schedules included in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, is a registered public accounting firm that is independent with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and the applicable published rules and regulations thereunder.
8
(ss) There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the Companys knowledge, any of the Companys officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 5605. Further, there is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the Companys knowledge, any of the Companys officers or directors, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the Effective Date the Company will be in compliance with, the phase-in requirements and all other provisions of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC corporate governance requirements set forth in the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
(tt) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (i) does not have any material lending or other relationship with any bank or lending affiliate of any of the Underwriters and (ii) does not intend to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities hereunder to repay any outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any of the Underwriters.
(uu) To the Companys knowledge, all information contained in the questionnaires (the Questionnaires) completed by the Sponsor and the Companys officers, directors and director nominees and provided to the Underwriters is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information that would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by the Sponsor or the Companys officers, directors and director nominees to become inaccurate and incorrect.
(vv) The Company has not selected any potential Business Combination target and has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential Business Combination target.
(ww) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, contracts, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a brokerage commission or finders, consulting, origination or similar fee by the Company, the Sponsor, or, to the Companys knowledge, their respective affiliates, or any officer, director or director nominee of the Company with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company, the Sponsor or, to the Companys knowledge, any such officer, director or director nominee of the Company, or their respective affiliates, that may affect the Underwriters compensation, as determined by FINRA.
(xx) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or any other type of underwriting compensation as defined in Rule 5110(j)(22) of FINRAs Conduct Rules and Supplemental Material .01 thereunder): (i) to any person, as a finders fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) to any person that has been accepted by FINRA as a member of FINRA (a Member); or (iii) to any person or entity that is otherwise a Participating Member (as defined in FINRA Rule 5110(j)(15)), within the twelve (12) months prior to the Effective Date, other than payments to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement.
(yy) No Member and/or any person associated or affiliated with a Member has received any underwriting compensation in connection with a public offering that has not been completed according to the terms of an agreement entered into by the Company and a participating member.
(zz) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the Companys knowledge, no officer, director, or beneficial owner of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of any class of the Companys securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) (any such individual or entity, a Company Affiliate) is a Participating Member as defined in Rule 5110(a)(4) of FINRAs Conduct Rules (a Participating Member) or a person associated or affiliated with a Participating Member.
9
(aaa) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the Companys knowledge, no Company Affiliate is an owner of stock or other securities of any Participating Member (other than securities purchased on the open market).
(bbb) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, no proceeds from the sale of the Securities (excluding underwriting compensation as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus) will be paid by the Company to any Member, or any persons associated or affiliated with a Member.
(ccc) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the Offering or, to the Companys knowledge, an affiliate or associated person (as defined by FINRA rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement through the date of this Agreement.
(ddd) Except as disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the Companys knowledge, no person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement through the date of this Agreement has any affiliation or association with any Participating Member.
(eee) No Member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a conflict of interest means, if at the time of the Members participation in the Offering, any of the following applies: (A) the securities are to be issued by the Member; (B) the Company controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the Member or the Members associated persons; (C) at least 5% of the net offering proceeds, not including underwriting compensation, are intended to be: (i) used to reduce or retire the balance of a loan or credit facility extended by the Member, its affiliates and its associated persons, in the aggregate; or (ii) otherwise directed to the Member, its affiliates and associated persons, in the aggregate; or (D) as a result of the Offering and any transactions contemplated at the time of the Offering: (i) the Member will be an affiliate of the Company; (ii) the Member will become publicly owned; or (iii) the Company will become a Member or form a broker-dealer subsidiary.
(fff) Except as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the Companys knowledge, none of the Sponsor, directors or officers of the Company is subject to a non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer that could materially affect its ability to be and act in the capacity of stockholder, officer or director of the Company, as applicable.
(ggg) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(hhh) The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other entity.
(iii) No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, director nominee, officer, stockholder, special advisor, customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company, on the other hand, which is required by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus that is not described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers, directors or director nominees of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.
10
(jjj) The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Securities to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customers or suppliers level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.
(kkk) Upon delivery and payment for the Units on the Closing Date, the Company will not be subject to Rule 419 under the Securities Act and none of the Companys outstanding securities will be deemed to be a penny stock as defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Exchange Act.
(lll) There is no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described in the Time of Sale Prospectus or Prospectus, or to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required (and the Time of Sale Prospectus contains in all material respects the same description of the foregoing matters contained in the Prospectus); and the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus under the headings Principal Stockholders, Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions, and Description of Securities insofar as such statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein, are accurate and fair summaries in all material respects of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings. There are no business relationships or related party transactions involving the Company or any other person required by the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement, Time of Sale Prospectus or Prospectus that have not been described as required.
2. Agreements to Sell and Purchase. The Company hereby agrees to sell to the several Underwriters, and each Underwriter, upon the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the conditions hereinafter stated, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective numbers of Firm Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite its name at $9.80 a Unit (the Purchase Price) (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional Units as you may determine).
On the basis of the representations and warranties contained in this Agreement, and subject to its terms and conditions, the Company agrees to sell to the Underwriters the Additional Securities, and the Underwriters shall have the right to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to 3,000,000 Additional Securities at the Purchase Price, provided, however, that the amount paid by the Underwriters for any Additional Securities shall be reduced by an amount per Unit equal to any dividends declared by the Company and payable on the Firm Securities but not payable on such Additional Securities. You may exercise this right on behalf of the Underwriters in whole or from time to time in part by giving written notice not later than 45 days after the date of this Agreement. Any exercise notice shall specify the number of Additional Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters and the date on which such shares are to be purchased. Each purchase date must be at least two business days after the written notice is given and may not be earlier than the closing date for the Firm Securities nor later than ten business days after the date of such notice. Additional Securities may be purchased as provided in Section 4 hereof solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments made in connection with the offering of the Firm Securities. On each day, if any, that Additional Securities are to be purchased (an Option Closing Date), each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase the number of Additional Securities (subject to such adjustments to eliminate fractional Units as you may determine) that bears the same proportion to the total number of Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date as the number of Firm Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Firm Securities.
In addition to the discount from the public offering price represented by the Purchase Price set forth in the first sentence of this Section, the Company hereby agrees to pay to the Underwriters a deferred discount of $0.35 per Unit (including both Firm Securities and Additional Securities) purchased hereunder (the Deferred Discount). The Underwriters hereby agree that if no Business Combination is consummated within the time period provided in the Trust Agreement and the funds held under the Trust Agreement are distributed to the holders of the Shares included in the Securities sold pursuant to this Agreement (the Public Stockholders), (i) the Underwriters will forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount and (ii) the trustee under the Trust Agreement is authorized to distribute the Deferred Discount to the Public Stockholders on a pro rata basis.
11
The Company hereby agrees that, without the prior written consent of the Representative on behalf of the Underwriters, it will not, (x) during the period ending 180 days after the date of the Prospectus (the Restricted Period), offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any Units, Warrants or Shares beneficially owned (as such term is used in Rule 13d-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)) or any other securities so owned convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Shares; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of a portion of the Founder Shares pursuant to their terms and the Company may (1) issue and sell the Private Placement Warrants, (2) issue and sell the Additional Securities on exercise of the option provided for in Section 2 hereof, and (3) issue securities in connection with a Business Combination, or (y) release the Sponsor or any officer, director or director nominee from the 180-day lock-up contained in the Insider Letter.
The Underwriters shall reimburse the Company for certain offering expenses for $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full).
3. Terms of Public Offering. The Company is advised by you that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of their respective portions of the Securities as soon after the Registration Statement and this Agreement have become effective as in your judgment is advisable (the Offering). The Company is further advised by you that the Securities are to be offered to the public initially at $10.00 a Unit (the Public Offering Price) and to certain dealers selected by you at a price that represents a concession not in excess of $[] a unit under the Public Offering Price.
4. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Firm Securities shall be made as follows: [$196,000,000 of the net proceeds for the Firm Securities (including $7,000,000 of Deferred Discount)] shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement along with a portion of the gross proceeds of the Private Placement Warrants in order for the Trust Account to equal the product of the number of Units sold and the Public Offering Price per Unit as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus upon delivery of such Firm Securities for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on [], 2022, or at such other time on the same or such other date as shall be designated in writing by you. The time and date of such payment are hereinafter referred to as the Closing Date. Payment by the Underwriters for the Firm Securities is contingent on the payment by the Sponsor to the Trust Account, as described above, for the Private Placement Warrants at least one Business Day prior to the Closing Date.
Payment for any Additional Securities shall be made as follows: $9.80 per Additional Security (including $0.35 per Additional Security of Deferred Discount) shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms of the Trust Agreement along with the gross proceeds of the Private Placement Warrants in order for the Trust Account to equal the product of the number of Units sold and the Public Offering Price per Unit as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus upon delivery of such Additional Securities for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the date specified in the corresponding notice described in Section 2 or at such other time on the same or on such other date as shall be designated in writing by you. Payment by the Underwriters for the Additional Securities is contingent on the payment by the Sponsor to the Trust Account, as described above, for the Private Placement Warrants at least one Business Day prior to the Closing Date. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, at the sole and absolute discretion of the Company, after consultation with the Representative, up to 25% of the amount designated as the Deferred Discount may be re-allocated and paid to third parties, including parties participating in this offering (but who are members of FINRA or regulated broker-dealers) that assist us in consummating our initial business combination.
The Firm Securities and Additional Securities shall be registered in such names and in such denominations as you shall request in writing not later than one full business day prior to the Closing Date or the applicable Option Closing Date, as the case may be. The Firm Securities and Additional Securities shall be delivered to you on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the transfer of the Securities to the Underwriters duly paid, against payment of the Purchase Price therefor.
5. Conditions to the Underwriters Obligations. The obligations of the Company to sell the Securities to the Underwriters and the several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Securities on the Closing Date are subject to the condition that the Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 PM (New York City time) on the date hereof.
12
The several obligations of the Underwriters are subject to the following further conditions:
(a) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company from that set forth in the Time of Sale Prospectus that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in your judgment, impracticable to market the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus.
(b) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 5(a) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date.
(c) The Company shall have furnished to the Representative a certificate signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date, certifying (i) that the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws of the Company are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect, (ii) that the resolutions relating to the Offering contemplated by this Agreement are in full force and effect and have not been modified, (iii) copies of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission, and (iv) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
The officer signing and delivering such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened.
(d) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representative.
(e) The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Ropes & Gray LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Closing Date, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representative.
The opinions of Latham & Watkins LLP and Ropes & Gray LLP described in Sections 5(d) and 5(e) above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.
(f) The Underwriters shall have received, on each of the date hereof and the Closing Date, a letter dated the date hereof or the Closing Date, as the case may be, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Marcum, independent public accountants, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants comfort letters to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; provided that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a cut-off date not earlier than the date hereof.
(g) The Company will deliver to the Representative executed copies of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreements, the Founders Purchase Agreement, the Sponsor Warrants Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Securities Subscription Agreement, and the Insider Letters, and each shall be in full force and effect on the Closing Date.
(h) FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness or reasonableness of the underwriting or other arrangements of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(i) The Securities shall be duly listed subject to notice of issuance on the Nasdaq Capital Market, satisfactory evidence of which shall have been provided to the Representative.
13
(j) On or prior to the Closing Date, the Sponsor shall have caused the applicable portion of the purchase price for the Private Placement Warrants to be deposited into the Trust Account.
(k) No order preventing or suspending the sale of the Units in any jurisdiction designated by the Representative pursuant to Section 6(g) hereof shall have been issued as of the Closing Date, and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall have been threatened.
(l) The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase Additional Securities hereunder are subject to the delivery to you on the applicable Option Closing Date of the following:
(i) a certificate, dated the Option Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 5(b) hereof remains true and correct as of such Option Closing Date;
(i) a certificate, dated the Option Closing Date and signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, confirming that the certificate delivered on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 5(c) hereof remains true and correct as of such Option Closing Date;
(ii) an opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP, outside counsel for the Company, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representative;
(iii) an opinion of Ropes & Gray LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, dated the Option Closing Date, relating to the Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date in a form reasonably acceptable to the Representative;
(iv) a letter dated the Option Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, from Marcum, independent public accountants, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Underwriters pursuant to Section 5(f) hereof; provided that the letter delivered on the Option Closing Date shall use a cut-off date not earlier than three business days prior to such Option Closing Date; and
(v) such other documents as you may reasonably request with respect to the good standing of the Company, the due authorization and issuance of the Additional Securities to be sold on such Option Closing Date and other matters related to the issuance of such Additional Securities.
6. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:
(a) To furnish to you, without charge, four signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and for delivery to each other Underwriter a conformed copy of the Registration Statement (without exhibits thereto) and to furnish to you in New York City, without charge, prior to 10:00 a.m. New York City time on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and during the period mentioned in Sections 6(e) or 6(f) below, as many copies of the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus and any supplements and amendments thereto or to the Registration Statement as you may reasonably request.
(b) Before amending or supplementing the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus, to furnish to you a copy of each such proposed amendment or supplement and not to file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object, and to file with the Commission within the applicable period specified in Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act any prospectus required to be filed pursuant to such Rule.
(c) The Company has not prepared or used, and will not prepare or use, a free writing prospectus as defined under Rule 433 of the Securities Act.
14
(d) If the Time of Sale Prospectus is being used to solicit offers to buy the Securities at a time when the Prospectus is not yet available to prospective purchasers and any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances, not misleading, or if any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which the Time of Sale Prospectus conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement then on file, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to any dealer upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Time of Sale Prospectus so that the statements in the Time of Sale Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Time of Sale Prospectus is delivered to a prospective purchaser, be misleading or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will no longer conflict with the Registration Statement, or so that the Time of Sale Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(e) If, during such period after the first date of the public offering of the Securities as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is required by law to be delivered in connection with sales by an Underwriter or dealer, any event shall occur or condition exist as a result of which it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading, or if, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters, it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with applicable law, forthwith to prepare, file with the Commission and furnish, at its own expense, to the Underwriters and to the dealers (whose names and addresses you will furnish to the Company) to which Securities may have been sold by you on behalf of the Underwriters and to any other dealers upon request, either amendments or supplements to the Prospectus so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances when the Prospectus (or in lieu thereof the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) of the Securities Act) is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus, as amended or supplemented, will comply with applicable law.
(f) To endeavor to qualify the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you shall reasonably request, provided that no such qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Company would be subject to service of general process or to taxation as a foreign corporation doing business in such jurisdiction. Until the earliest of (i) the date on which all Underwriters shall have ceased to engage in market-making activities in respect of the Securities, (ii) the date on which the Securities are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (or any successor thereof), (iii) a going private transaction or acquisition of the Company after the completion of a Business Combination, and (iv) the date of the Liquidation, in each jurisdiction where such qualification shall be effected, the Company will, unless the Representative agrees that such action is not at the time necessary or advisable, use all reasonable efforts to file and make such statements or reports at such times as are or may be required to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. For purposes of this Agreement, Liquidation means the distributions of the Trust Account to the Public Stockholders in connection with the redemption of Shares held by the Public Stockholders pursuant to the terms of the Companys Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation if the Company fails to consummate an initial Business Combination.
(g) To make generally available to the Companys security holders and to you as soon as practicable an earnings statement which shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.
(h) Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, to pay or cause to be paid all reasonable, documented, out-of-pocket expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Companys counsel and the Companys accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Securities under the Securities Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale
15
Prospectus and the Prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 6(g) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters (such fees and disbursements of counsel in an amount not to exceed $25,000) incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Securities by the FINRA, (v) all fees and expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration statement on Form 8-A relating to the Units, Shares and Warrants and all costs and expenses incident to listing the Units, Shares and Warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market, (vi) the cost of printing certificates representing the Securities, (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent, registrar or depositary, (viii) the reasonable, documented, out-of-pocket costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any road show undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities or any testing-the-waters presentations, including, without limitation, expenses associated with the preparation or dissemination of any electronic road show, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations with the prior approval of the Company, and travel and lodging expenses of the representatives and officers of the Company and any such consultants, (ix) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement, (x) all expenses in connection with any offer and sale of the Securities outside of the United States, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with offers and sales outside of the United States, and (xi) all other reasonable, documented, out-of-pocket costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section, Section 8 entitled Indemnity and Contribution and the last paragraph of Section 10 below, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel.
(i) The Company will promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (a) completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Securities Act and (b) completion of the Restricted Period (as defined in Section 2 hereof).
(j) If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Representative and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
(k) The Company will deliver to each Underwriter (or its agent), on the date of execution of this Agreement, a properly completed and executed Certification Regarding Beneficial Owners of Legal Entity Customers, together with copies of identifying documentation, and the Company undertakes to provide such additional supporting documentation as each Underwriter may reasonably request in connection with the verification of the foregoing Certification.
(l) For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending five (5) years from the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination or such earlier time at which the Liquidation occurs or the Company is acquired (and is not the surviving entity) or completes a going private transaction after the completion of a Business Combination (as applicable, the Termination Date), the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the registration of the Units, Shares and Warrants under the provisions of the Exchange Act. The Company will not deregister the Units, Shares or Warrants under the Exchange Act prior to the Termination Date without the prior written consent of the Representative.
16
(m) The Company shall, on the date hereof, retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (the Audited Balance Sheet) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering on the Closing Date. As soon as the Audited Balance Sheet becomes available, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four (4) Business Days after the Closing Date, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Companys Audited Balance Sheet. Additionally, upon the Companys receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of all or any portion of the Additional Securities, the Company shall promptly, but not later than four (4) Business Days after the receipt of such proceeds, file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which report shall disclose the Companys sale of the Additional Securities and its receipt of the proceeds therefrom.
(n) For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on the Termination Date, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent registered public accounting firm to review (but not audit) the Companys financial statements for each of the first three (3) fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial information, the filing of the Companys Form 10-Q quarterly report and the mailing, if any, of quarterly financial information to stockholders.
(o) For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on the Termination Date, the Company shall, to the extent such information or documents are not otherwise publicly available, upon written request from the Representative, furnish to the Representative copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of securities, and promptly furnish to the Representative: (i) a copy of such registration statements, financial statements and periodic and special reports as the Company shall be required to file with the Commission and from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any such class of its securities in their capacities as such; and (ii) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request, all subject to the execution of a satisfactory confidentiality agreement. Any registration statements, financial statements, periodic and special reports or other additional documents referred to in the preceding sentence filed or furnished on the Commissions EDGAR website will be considered furnished for the purposes of this Section.
(p) For a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on the Termination Date, the Company shall retain a transfer and warrant agent.
(q) The Company will not consummate an initial Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with the Sponsor or any of the Companys officers or directors unless it obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, that such Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view. The Company may (i) repay loans to the Sponsor as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; (ii) reimburse the Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their affiliates for any out-of-pocket expenses related to the Companys formation and initial public offering and expenses, fees, or other compensation for identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial Business Combination; (iii) make payments to the Sponsor or an affiliate or assignee of the Sponsor for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support as described in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus; and (iv) repay loans which may be made by the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or the Companys officers and directors to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended Business Combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto; provided however, that no such payments shall be made from the proceeds of the Offering and the sale of private placement warrants held in the Trust Account prior to the completion of the initial Business Combination.
17
(r) The Company will apply the net proceeds from the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants received by it in a manner consistent in all material respects with the applications described under the caption Use of Proceeds in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus.
(s) For a period of 60 days following the Effective Date, in the event any Participating Member is engaged to assist the Company in its search for a merger candidate or to provide any other merger and acquisition services, or has provided or will provide any investment banking, financial, advisory and/or consulting services to the Company, provided that such services are relevant to the underwriting terms and arrangements of the Offering, the Company agrees that it shall promptly provide to the Representative and its counsel, prior to entering into the agreement or transaction relating to a Business Combination, a notification that includes: (i) the identity of the person or entity providing any such services; (ii) all such services and copies of all agreements governing such services prior to entering into the agreement or transaction; and (iii) justification as to why the value received by any person or entity for such services is not underwriting compensation for the Offering. The Company also agrees that proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer materials or proxy statement, as applicable, which the Company may file in connection with the Business Combination for purposes of offering redemption of shares held by its stockholders or for soliciting stockholder approval, as applicable.
(t) The Company shall advise FINRA, the Representative and counsel for the Underwriters if it is aware that any 10% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a Member participating in the distribution of the Securities.
(u) The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act as set forth in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Time of Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
(v) During the period prior to the Companys initial Business Combination or Liquidation, the Company may instruct the trustee under the Trust Agreement to release from the Trust Account, solely from interest income earned on the funds held in the Trust Account, the amounts necessary to pay taxes, expenses relating to the administration of the Trust Account, and to redeem the Companys public shares in connection with an amendment to the Companys Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Otherwise, all funds held in the Trust Account (including any interest income earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) will remain in the Trust Account until the earlier of the consummation of the Companys initial Business Combination or the Liquidation; provided, however, that in the event of the Liquidation, up to $100,000 of interest income may be released to the Company if the proceeds of the Offering held by the Company outside of the Trust Account are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing the Companys plan of dissolution.
(w) The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued Shares that are issuable upon exercise of any of the Warrants and Private Placement Warrants outstanding from time to time.
(x) Prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company shall not issue any Shares, Warrants or any options or other securities convertible into Shares, or any preferred shares, in each case, that participate in any manner in the Trust Account or that vote as a class with the Shares on a Business Combination.
(y) Prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Companys audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments made to the Sponsor, to the Companys officers or directors, or to the Companys or any of such other persons respective affiliates.
18
(z) The Company agrees that it will use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Securities Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including, but not limited to, using its best efforts to prevent any of the Companys outstanding securities from being deemed to be a penny stock as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.
(aa) To the extent required by Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act, the Company will maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with managements general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with managements general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
(bb) The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to effect and, for a period commencing on the Effective Date and ending on the Termination Date, maintain the listing of the Units (except after the consummation of the initial Business Combination), Shares and Warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market (or another national securities exchange).
(cc) As soon as legally required to do so, and continuing until the Termination Date, the Company and its directors and officers, in their capacities as such, shall take all actions necessary to comply with any applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications, and to comply with the Nasdaq Marketplace Rules.
(dd) Prior to the Termination Date, the Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action that would cause the Company to be in breach or violation of its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
(ee) Prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination or the Liquidation, the Company will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than independent accountants), prospective target businesses, lenders or other entities with which it does business enter into an agreement waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the benefit of the Public Stockholders.
(ff) The Company may consummate the initial Business Combination and conduct redemptions of Shares for cash upon consummation of such Business Combination without a stockholder vote pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, including the filing of tender offer documents with the Commission. Such tender offer documents will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under the Commissions proxy rules and will provide each stockholder of the Company with the opportunity prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination to redeem the Shares held by such stockholder for an amount of cash equal to (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account as of two (2) business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable), divided by (B) the number of Shares sold as part of the Units in the Offering (the Public Shares) then outstanding. The tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that the Company will only redeem Public Shares so long as (after such redemptions), the Companys net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001, either prior to or upon consummation of an initial Business Combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission (so that the Company does not become subject to the SECs penny stock rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or the Company decides to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will submit such initial Business Combination to the Companys stockholders for their approval (Business Combination Vote). With respect to the initial Business Combination Vote, if any, the
19
Sponsor has agreed to vote all of its Founder Shares and any Public Shares held by them in favor of the Companys initial Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company will offer to each holder of Public Shares (the Public Stockholder) the right to have its shares redeemed in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules of the Commission at a per share redemption price (the Redemption Price) equal to (I) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two (2) business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable), divided by (II) the number of Public Shares then outstanding, subject to certain limitations. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the initial Business Combination, the Company may proceed with such Business Combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares voted by the stockholders at a duly held stockholders meeting are voted to approve such Business Combination. If, after seeking and receiving such stockholder approval, the Company elects to so proceed, it will redeem shares, at the Redemption Price, from those Public Stockholders who affirmatively requested such redemption. Only Public Stockholders holding Shares who properly exercise their redemption rights, in accordance with the applicable tender offer or proxy materials related to such Business Combination, shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Account in connection with an initial Business Combination, and the Company shall pay no distributions with respect to any other holders of shares of the Company in connection therewith. In the event that the Company does not effect a Business Combination by twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering or during any extended time that the Company has to consummate a Business Combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend the Companys Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and subject to the requirement that any refund of income taxes that were paid from the Trust Account that is received after the redemption shall be distributed to the former Public Stockholders, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Companys remaining stockholders and the Companys board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Companys obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Companys warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as the same may be extended). Only Public Stockholders holding Shares included in the Securities shall be entitled to receive such redemption amounts and the Company shall pay no such redemption amounts or any distributions in liquidation with respect to any other shares of the Company. The Company will not propose any amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation A) to modify the substance or timing of the Companys obligation to redeem 100% of the outstanding Public Shares if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering or B) with respect to any provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company offers the right to redeem upon approval of any such amendment.
(gg) In the event that the Company desires or is required by an applicable law or regulation to cause an announcement (Business Combination Announcement) to be placed in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times or any other news or media publication or outlet or to be made via a public filing or submission with the Commission announcing the consummation of the Business Combination that indicates that the Underwriters were the underwriters in the Offering, the Company shall supply the Representative with a draft of the Business Combination Announcement and provide the Representative with a reasonable advance opportunity to comment thereon, subject to the agreement of the Underwriters to keep confidential such draft announcement in accordance with the Representatives standard policies regarding confidential information.
20
(hh) Upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the Company will direct the Trustee to pay the Representative, on behalf of the Underwriters, the Deferred Discount out of the proceeds of the Offering held in the Trust Account. The Underwriters shall have no claim to payment of any interest earned on the portion of the proceeds held in the Trust Account representing the Deferred Discount. If the Company fails to consummate its initial Business Combination within twenty-four (24) months from the closing of the Offering (as the same may be extended), the Deferred Discount will not be paid to the Representative and will, instead, be included in the liquidation distribution of the proceeds held in the Trust Account made to the Public Stockholders. In connection with any such Liquidation, the Underwriters forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Discount.
(ii) Upon the earlier to occur of the expiration or termination of the Underwriters option to purchase Additional Securities, the Company shall cancel or otherwise effect the forfeiture of Founder Shares from the Sponsor, in an aggregate amount equal to the number of Founder Shares determined by multiplying (a) 750,000 by (b) a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 3,000,000 minus the number of Shares purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their option to purchase Additional Securities, and (ii) the denominator of which is 3,000,000. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Underwriters exercise their option to purchase Additional Securities in full, the Company shall not cancel or otherwise effect the forfeiture of the Founder Shares pursuant to this subsection.
7. Covenants of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter severally covenants with the Company not to take any action that would result in the Company being required to file with the Commission under Rule 433(d) a free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of such Underwriter that otherwise would not be required to be filed by the Company thereunder, but for the action of the Underwriter.
8. Indemnity and Contribution. (a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act and each affiliate of any Underwriter within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with defending or investigating any such action or claim) caused by any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or any amendment thereof, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, any issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act, any Company information that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a road show), or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Testing-the-Waters Communication or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are caused by any such untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission based upon information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use therein.
(b) Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who sign the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of either Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to such Underwriter, but only with reference to information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through you expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, road show, Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto.
(c) In case any proceeding (including any governmental investigation) shall be instituted involving any person in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 8(a) and 8(b), such person (the indemnified party) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnity may be sought (the indemnifying party) in writing and the indemnifying party, upon request of the indemnified party, shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party and any others the indemnifying party may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and disbursements of such counsel related to such proceeding. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to
21
the retention of such counsel, (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them or (iii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and either of the parties believes it has defenses that are not available to the other party. It is understood that the indemnifying party shall not, in respect of the legal expenses of any indemnified party in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all such indemnified parties and that all such fees and expenses shall be reimbursed as they are incurred. Such firm shall be designated in writing by the Representative, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(a), and by the Company, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 8(c). The indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by the second and third sentences of this paragraph, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement includes an unconditional release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding.
(d) To the extent the indemnification provided for in Section 8(a), 8(b) or 8(c) is unavailable to an indemnified party or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each indemnifying party under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such indemnified party thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause 8(d)(i) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause 8(d)(i) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds from the offering of the Securities (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate Public Offering Price of the Securities. The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Underwriters respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the respective number of Securities they have purchased hereunder, and not joint.
(e) The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just or equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 8(d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in Section 8(d) shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the
22
provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The remedies provided for in this Section 8 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any indemnified party at law or in equity.
(f) The indemnity and contribution provisions contained in this Section 8 and the representations, warranties and other statements of the Company contained in this Agreement shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of (i) any termination of this Agreement, (ii) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, any person controlling any Underwriter or any affiliate of any Underwriter or by or on behalf of the Company, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (iii) acceptance of and payment for any of the Securities.
9. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement by notice given by you to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on, or by, as the case may be, any of the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE MKT, the Nasdaq Select Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Market and the Nasdaq Capital Market or other relevant exchanges, (ii) trading of any securities of the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market, (iii) a material disruption in securities settlement, payment or clearance services in the United States or other relevant jurisdiction shall have occurred, (iv) any moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by U.S. Federal or New York State authorities or (v) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and which, singly or together with any other event specified in this clause (v), makes it, in your judgment, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offer, sale or delivery of the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Prospectus or the Prospectus.
10. Effectiveness; Defaulting Underwriters. This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.
If, on the Closing Date or an Option Closing Date, as the case may be, any one or more of the Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Securities that it has or they have agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, and the aggregate number of Securities which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase is not more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of the Securities to be purchased on such date, the other Underwriters shall be obligated severally in the proportions that the number of Firm Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule I bears to the aggregate number of Firm Securities set forth opposite the names of all such non-defaulting Underwriters, or in such other proportions as you may specify, to purchase the Securities which such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed or refused to purchase on such date; provided that in no event shall the number of Securities that any Underwriter has agreed to purchase pursuant to this Agreement be increased pursuant to this Section 10 by an amount in excess of one-ninth of such number of Securities without the written consent of such Underwriter. If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Firm Securities and the aggregate number of Firm Securities with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Firm Securities to be purchased on such date, and arrangements satisfactory to you and the Company for the purchase of such Firm Securities are not made within 36 hours after such default, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company. In any such case either you or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date, but in no event for longer than seven days, in order that the required changes, if any, in the Registration Statement, in the Time of Sale Prospectus, in the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. If, on an Option Closing Date, any Underwriter or Underwriters shall fail or refuse to purchase Additional Securities and the aggregate number of Additional Securities with respect to which such default occurs is more than one-tenth of the aggregate number of Additional Securities to be purchased on such Option Closing Date, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the option to (i) terminate their obligation hereunder to purchase the Additional Securities to be sold on such Option Closing Date or (ii) purchase not less than the number of Additional Securities that such non-defaulting Underwriters would have been obligated to purchase in the absence of such default. Any action taken under this paragraph shall not relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of any default of such Underwriter under this Agreement.
23
If this Agreement shall be terminated by the Underwriters, or any of them, because of any failure or refusal on the part of the Company to comply with the terms or to fulfill any of the conditions of this Agreement, or if for any reason (other than any action by any of the Underwriters) the Company shall be unable to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters or such Underwriters as have so terminated this Agreement with respect to themselves, severally, for all out-of-pocket expenses (including the fees and disbursements of their counsel) reasonably incurred by such Underwriters in connection with this Agreement or the Offering contemplated hereunder, but the Company shall then have no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Section 8 hereof.
11. Entire Agreement. (a) This Agreement, together with any contemporaneous written agreements and any prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement) that relate to the offering of the Securities, represents the entire agreement between the Company and the Underwriters with respect to the preparation of any preliminary prospectus, the Time of Sale Prospectus, the Prospectus, the conduct of the Offering, and the purchase and sale of the Securities.
(b) The Company acknowledges that in connection with the offering of the Securities: (i) the Underwriters have acted at arms length, are not agents of, and owe no fiduciary duties to, the Company or any other person, and does not constitute a recommendation, investment advice, or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters, (ii) the Underwriters owe the Company only those duties and obligations set forth in this Agreement and prior written agreements (to the extent not superseded by this Agreement), if any, (iii) the Underwriters may have interests that differ from those of the Company, and (iv) none of the activities of the Underwriters in connection with the transactions contemplated herein constitutes a recommendation, investment advice or solicitation of any action by the Underwriters with respect to any entity or natural person. The Company waives to the full extent permitted by applicable law any claims it may have against the Underwriters arising from an alleged breach of fiduciary duty in connection with the offering of the Securities.
12. Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be signed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original, with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same instrument. Delivery of this Agreement by one party to the other may be made by facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law) or other transmission method, and the parties hereto agree that any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
13. Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
14. Jurisdiction. The Company agrees that any suit, action or proceeding against the Company brought by any Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees, affiliates and agents of any Underwriter, or by any person who controls any Underwriter, arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in any New York Court, and waives any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding, and irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any suit, action or proceeding.
The provisions of this Section 14 shall survive the termination of this Agreement, in whole or in part.
15. Waiver of Immunity. To the extent that the Company has or hereafter may acquire any immunity (sovereign or otherwise) from any legal action, suit or proceeding, from jurisdiction of any court or from set-off or any legal process (whether service or notice, attachment in aid or otherwise) with respect to itself or any of its property, the Company hereby irrevocably waivers and agrees not to plead or claim such immunity in respect of its obligations under this Agreement.
24
16. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
17. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
For purposes of this Section 17, a BHC Act Affiliate has the meaning assigned to the term affiliate in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). Covered Entity means any of the following: (i) a covered entity as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a covered bank as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a covered FSI as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). Default Right has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. U.S. Special Resolution Regime means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
18. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
19. Headings. The headings of the sections of this Agreement have been inserted for convenience of reference only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
20. Notices. All communications hereunder shall be in writing and effective only upon receipt and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered, mailed or sent to you in care of BofA Securities, Inc., One Bryant Park, New York, New York 10036, attention of Syndicate Department (facsimile: (646) 855-3073), with a copy to ECM Legal (facsimile: (212) 230-8730) and; and if to the Company shall be delivered, mailed or sent to [Stillwater Growth Corp. I, 1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor, Burlingame, CA 94010, Attention: Mark Bradley with a copy to Latham & Watkins LLP, 140 Scott Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025, Attention: Tad Freese and a copy to Latham & Watkins LLP, 811 Main Street, Suite 3700, Houston, TX 77002, Attention: Ryan Maierson].
21. Information Furnished by the Underwriters. The statements set forth in the fifth paragraph, sixth paragraph, fifteenth paragraph, sixteenth paragraph and seventeenth paragraph under the caption Underwriting in the Prospectus, only insofar as such statements relate to the amount of selling concession and stabilization activities that may be undertaken by the Underwriters, constitute the only information furnished by or on behalf of the Underwriters, as such information is referred to in Sections 1 hereof.
25
Very truly yours, | ||
Stillwater Growth Corp. I | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to the Underwriting Agreement]
Accepted as of the date hereof BofA Securities, Inc. | ||
Acting on behalf of itself and the several Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto. |
By: | BofA Securities, Inc. |
By: |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to the Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
Underwriter |
Number of Firm Securities To Be Purchased |
|||
BofA Securities, Inc. |
[] | |||
Total: |
20,000,000 | |||
|
|
I-1
SCHEDULE II
Time of Sale Prospectus
1. | Preliminary Prospectus dated [], 2022. |
2. | Stillwater Growth Corp. I priced 20,000,000 Units at $10.00 per Unit plus an additional 3,000,000 Units if the Underwriters exercise their option to purchase Additional Securities in full. |
II-1
SCHEDULE III
Schedule of Written Testing-The-Waters Communications
Reference is made to the materials used in the testing-the-waters presentations made to potential investors by the Company, to the extent such materials are deemed to be written communications within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
III-1
Exhibit 3.2
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
, 2022
Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the Corporation), DOES HEREBY CERTIFY AS FOLLOWS:
1. The name of the Corporation is Stillwater Growth Corp. I. The original certificate of incorporation of the Corporation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on February 11, 2021, and amended pursuant to that certain Certificate of Amendment as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on February 18, 2021 (as amended, the Original Certificate).
2. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (this Amended and Restated Certificate), which both restates and amends the provisions of the Original Certificate, was duly adopted in accordance with Sections 228, 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended from time to time (the DGCL).
3. This Amended and Restated Certificate shall become effective on the date of filing with the Secretary of State of Delaware.
4. The text of the Original Certificate is hereby restated and amended in its entirety to read as follows:
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of the corporation is Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Corporation).
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL. In addition to the powers and privileges conferred upon the Corporation by law and those incidental thereto, the Corporation shall possess and may exercise all the powers and privileges that are necessary or convenient to the conduct, promotion or attainment of the business or purposes of the Corporation, including, but not limited to, effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Corporation and one or more businesses (a Business Combination).
ARTICLE III
REGISTERED AGENT
The address of the Corporations registered office in the State of Delaware is 1209 Orange Street, in the City of Wilmington, County of New Castle, State of Delaware, 19801, and the name of the Corporations registered agent at such address is The Corporation Trust Company.
ARTICLE IV
CAPITALIZATION
Section 4.1 Authorized Capital Stock. The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock, each with a par value of $0.0001 per share, which the Corporation is authorized to issue is 121,000,000 shares, consisting of (a) 120,000,000 shares of common stock (the Common Stock), including (i) 100,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock (the Class A Common Stock), and (ii) 20,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock (the Class B Common Stock), and (b) 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Preferred Stock).
Section 4.2 Preferred Stock. Subject to Article IX of this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the Board) is hereby expressly authorized to provide out of the unissued shares of the Preferred Stock for one or more series of Preferred Stock and to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional, special and other rights, if any, of each such series and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, as shall be stated in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board providing for the issuance of such series and included in a certificate of designation (a Preferred Stock Designation) filed pursuant to the DGCL, and the Board is hereby expressly vested with the authority to the full extent provided by law, now or hereafter, to adopt any such resolution or resolutions.
Section 4.3 Common Stock.
(a) Voting.
(i) Except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of the shares of Common Stock shall exclusively possess all voting power with respect to the Corporation.
(ii) Except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders of the Corporation on which the holders of such Common Stock are entitled to vote.
(iii) Except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including as set forth in Section 9.9 and any Preferred Stock Designation), at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, holders of the Class A Common Stock and holders of the Class B Common Stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote on all matters properly submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Corporation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation),
2
holders of shares of any series of Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any amendment to any Preferred Stock Designation) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock or other series of Common Stock if the holders of such affected series of Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as applicable, are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) or the DGCL.
(b) Class B Common Stock.
(i) Shares of Class B Common Stock shall be convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis (the Initial Conversion Ratio) (A) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof and (B) automatically on the closing of the initial Business Combination.
(ii) Notwithstanding the Initial Conversion Ratio, in the case that additional shares of Class A Common Stock, or Equity-linked Securities (as defined below), are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in the Corporations initial public offering of securities (the Offering) and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, all issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall automatically convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at the time of the closing of the initial Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B Common Stock shall convert into shares of Class A Common Stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B Common Stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the aggregate number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Offering (including any shares of Class A Common Stock issued pursuant to the underwriters over-allotment option), plus the aggregate number of shares of Class A Common Stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial Business Combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial Business Combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial Business Combination and any private placement warrants issued to our D Squared Sponsor, LLC (the Sponsor), or an affiliate of the Sponsor or any of the Corporations officers or directors.
As used herein, the term Equity-linked Securities means any debt or equity securities of the Corporation that are convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Class A Common Stock issued in a financing transaction in connection with the initial Business Combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, (i) the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular issuance or deemed issuance of additional shares of Class A Common Stock or Equity-linked Securities by the written consent or agreement of holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding consenting or agreeing separately as a single class in the manner provided in Section 4.3(b)(iii), and (ii) in no event shall the Class B Common Stock convert into Class A Common Stock at a ratio that is less than one-for-one.
3
The foregoing conversion ratio shall also be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by stock split, subdivision, exchange, stock dividend, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or combination (by reverse stock split, exchange, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock into a greater or lesser number of shares occurring after the original filing of this Amended and Restated Certificate without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock.
Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert into its pro rata number of shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to this Section 4.3(b). The pro rata share for each holder of Class B Common Stock will be determined as follows: Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert into such number of shares of Class A Common Stock as is equal to the product of one (1) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock into which all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall be converted pursuant to this Section 4.3(b) and the denominator of which shall be the total number of issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock at the time of conversion.
(iii) Voting. Except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), for so long as any shares of Class B Common Stock shall remain outstanding, the Corporation shall not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B Common Stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B Common Stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B Common Stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B Common Stock were present and voted and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which minutes of proceedings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporations registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Prompt written notice of the taking of corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent of the holders of Class B Common Stock shall, to the extent required by law, be given to those holders of Class B Common Stock who have not consented in writing and who, if the action had been taken at a meeting, would have been entitled to notice of the meeting if the record date for notice of such meeting had been the date that written consents signed by a sufficient number of holders of Class B Common Stock to take the action were delivered to the Corporation.
4
(c) Dividends. Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions of Article IX, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions (payable in cash, property or capital stock of the Corporation) when, as and if declared thereon by the Board from time to time out of any assets or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions.
(d) Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up of the Corporation. Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions of Article IX, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive all the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders, ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock (on an as converted basis with respect to the Class B Common Stock) held by them.
Section 4.4 Rights and Options. Subject to Section 9.4, the Corporation has the authority to create and issue rights, warrants and options entitling the holders thereof to acquire from the Corporation any shares of its capital stock of any class or classes, with such rights, warrants and options to be evidenced by or in instrument(s) approved by the Board. The Board is empowered to set the exercise price, duration, times for exercise and other terms and conditions of such rights, warrants or options; provided, however, that the consideration to be received for any shares of capital stock issuable upon exercise thereof may not be less than the par value thereof.
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 5.1 Board Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by, or under the direction of, the Board. In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred upon the Board by statute, this Amended and Restated Certificate or the Bylaws of the Corporation (Bylaws), the Board is hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation, subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the DGCL, this Amended and Restated Certificate, and any Bylaws adopted by the stockholders of the Corporation; provided, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders of the Corporation shall invalidate any prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.
Section 5.2 Number, Election and Term.
(a) The number of directors of the Corporation, other than those who may be elected by the holders of one or more series of the Preferred Stock voting separately by class or series, shall be fixed from time to time exclusively by the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board.
5
(b) Subject to Section 5.5, the Board shall be divided into three classes, as nearly equal in number as possible and designated Class I, Class II and Class III. The Board is authorized to assign members of the Board already in office as of the effectiveness of this this Amended and Restated Certificate to Class I, Class II or Class III. The term of the initial Class I Directors shall expire at the first annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate; the term of the initial Class II Directors shall expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate; and the term of the initial Class III Directors shall expire at the third annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate. At each succeeding annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, beginning with the first annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate, each of the successors elected to replace the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting shall be elected for a three-year term or until the election and qualification of their respective successors in office, subject to their earlier death, resignation or removal. Subject to Section 5.5, if the number of directors that constitute the Board is changed, any increase or decrease shall be apportioned by the Board among the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal as possible, but in no case shall a decrease in the number of directors constituting the Board shorten the term of any incumbent director. Subject to the rights of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock, voting separately by class or series, to elect directors pursuant to the terms of one or more series of Preferred Stock, directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders of the Corporation present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon. The Board is hereby expressly authorized, by resolution or resolutions thereof, to assign members of the Board already in office to the aforesaid classes at the time this Amended and Restated Certificate (and therefore such classification) becomes effective in accordance with the DGCL.
(c) Subject to Section 5.5, a director shall hold office until the annual meeting for the year in which his or her term expires and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such directors earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal.
(d) Unless and except to the extent that the Bylaws shall so require, the election of directors need not be by written ballot. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors.
Section 5.3 Newly Created Directorships and Vacancies. Subject to Section 5.5 and Section 9.9, newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or other cause may be filled solely and exclusively by a majority vote of the remaining directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director (and not by stockholders), and any director so chosen shall hold office for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors to which the new directorship was added or in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such directors earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal.
6
Section 5.4 Removal. Subject to Section 5.5 and except as otherwise required by this Amended and Restated Certificate (including as set forth in Section 9.9), any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
Section 5.5 Preferred Stock - Directors. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V, and except as otherwise required by law, whenever the holders of one or more series of the Preferred Stock shall have the right, voting separately by class or series, to elect one or more directors, the term of office, the filling of vacancies, the removal from office and other features of such directorships shall be governed by the terms of such series of the Preferred Stock as set forth in this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) and such directors shall not be included in any of the classes created pursuant to this Article V unless expressly provided by such terms.
ARTICLE VI
BYLAWS
In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred upon it by law, the Board shall have the power and is expressly authorized to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws by the affirmative vote of a majority of the total number of directors present at a regular or special meeting of the Board at which there is a quorum or by unanimous written consent. The Bylaws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders of the Corporation; provided, however, that in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by law or by this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders of the Corporation to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws; and provided further, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders of the Corporation shall invalidate any prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.
ARTICLE VII
SPECIAL MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS; ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT
Section 7.1 Special Meetings. Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock, and to the requirements of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by the Chairman or Co-Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, or the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board, and the ability of the stockholders of the Corporation to call a special meeting is hereby specifically denied. Except as provided in the foregoing sentence, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may not be called by another person or persons.
Section 7.2 Advance Notice. Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of directors and of business to be brought by stockholders before any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the Bylaws.
7
Section 7.3 Action by Written Consent. Except as may be otherwise provided for or fixed pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) relating to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of Preferred Stock, subsequent to the consummation of the Offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders of the Corporation must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders of the Corporation other than with respect to our Class B Common Stock with respect to which action may be taken by written consent.
ARTICLE VIII
LIMITED LIABILITY; INDEMNIFICATION
Section 8.1 Limitation of Director Liability. A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL as the same exists or may hereafter be amended unless a director violated his or her duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived improper personal benefit from his or her actions as a director. Any amendment, modification or repeal of the foregoing sentence shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation hereunder in respect of any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such amendment, modification or repeal.
Section 8.2 Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses.
(a) To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless each person who is or was made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a proceeding) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, other enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (an indemnitee), whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or in any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred by such indemnitee in connection with such proceeding. The Corporation shall to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law pay the expenses (including attorneys fees) incurred by an indemnitee in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding in advance of its final disposition; provided, however, that, to the extent required by applicable law, such payment of expenses in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking, by or on behalf of the indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Section 8.2 or otherwise. The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred
8
by this Section 8.2 shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 8.2(a), except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses, the Corporation shall indemnify and advance expenses to an indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board.
(b) The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred on any indemnitee by this Section 8.2 shall not be exclusive of any other rights that any indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire under law, this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
(c) Any repeal or amendment of this Section 8.2 by the stockholders of the Corporation or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate inconsistent with this Section 8.2, shall, unless otherwise required by law, be prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis than permitted prior thereto), and shall not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision in respect of any proceeding (regardless of when such proceeding is first threatened, commenced or completed) arising out of, or related to, any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.
(d) This Section 8.2 shall not limit the right of the Corporation, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than indemnitees.
ARTICLE IX
BUSINESS COMBINATION REQUIREMENTS; EXISTENCE
Section 9.1 General.
(a) The provisions of this Article IX shall apply during the period commencing upon the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate and terminating upon the consummation of the Corporations initial Business Combination and, except as provided in Section 9.9, no amendment to this Article IX shall be effective prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination unless approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 65% of all then outstanding shares of the Common Stock.
(b) Immediately after the Offering, a certain amount of the net offering proceeds received by the Corporation in the Offering (including the proceeds of any exercise of the underwriters over-allotment option) and certain other amounts specified in the Corporations registration statement on Form S-1, as initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on April 16, 2021, as amended (the Registration Statement), shall be deposited in a trust account (the Trust Account), established for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below) pursuant to a trust agreement described in the Registration
9
Statement. Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, none of the funds held in the Trust Account (including the interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account) will be released from the Trust Account until the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of 100% of the Offering Shares (as defined below) if the Corporation has not completed its initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Offering and (iii) the redemption of Offering Shares in connection with a vote seeking to amend any provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Corporations obligation to allow redemption in connection with its initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Corporation does not complete its initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity (as described in Section 9.7). Holders of shares of the Common Stock included as part of the units sold in the Offering (the Offering Shares) (whether such Offering Shares were purchased in the Offering or in the secondary market following the Offering and whether or not such holders are D Squared Sponsor LLC (the Sponsor) or officers or directors of the Corporation, or affiliates of any of the foregoing) are referred to herein as Public Stockholders.
Section 9.2 Redemption Rights.
(a) Prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall provide all holders of Offering Shares with the opportunity to have their Offering Shares redeemed, upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination pursuant to, and subject to the limitations of, Section 9.2(b) and Section 9.2(c) (such rights of such holders to have their Offering Shares redeemed pursuant to such Sections, the Redemption Rights) for cash equal to the applicable redemption price per share determined in accordance with Section 9.2(b) (the Redemption Price); provided, however, that the Corporation shall not redeem or repurchase Offering Shares to the extent that such redemption would result in the Corporations failure to have net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act) (or any successor rule)) of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon consummation of an initial Business Combination (such limitation hereinafter called the Redemption Limitation). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate, there shall be no Redemption Rights or liquidating distributions with respect to any warrant issued pursuant to the Offering.
(b) If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares other than in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act (or any successor rules or regulations) and filing proxy materials with the SEC, the Corporation shall offer to redeem the Offering Shares upon the consummation of the initial Business Combination, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, in accordance with the provisions of Section 9.2(a) pursuant to a tender offer in accordance with Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act (or any successor rule or regulation) (such rules and regulations hereinafter called the Tender Offer Rules), which it shall commence prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination and shall file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination that contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial
10
Business Combination and the Redemption Rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act (or any successor rule or regulation) (such rules and regulations hereinafter called the Proxy Solicitation Rules), even if such information is not required under the Tender Offer Rules; provided, however, that if a stockholder vote is required by law to approve the proposed initial Business Combination, or the Corporation decides to submit the proposed initial Business Combination to the stockholders of the Corporation for their approval for business or other reasons, the Corporation shall offer to redeem the Offering Shares, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, in accordance with the provisions of Section 9.2(a) in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the Proxy Solicitation Rules (and not the Tender Offer Rules) at a price per share equal to the Redemption Price calculated in accordance with the following provisions of this Section 9.2(b). In the event that the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares pursuant to a tender offer in accordance with the Tender Offer Rules, the Redemption Price per share of the Common Stock payable to holders of the Offering Shares tendering their Offering Shares pursuant to such tender offer shall be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing: (i) the aggregate amount on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest (net of taxes payable), by (ii) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares. If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on the proposed initial Business Combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, the Redemption Price per share of the Common Stock payable to holders of the Offering Shares exercising their Redemption Rights shall be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the aggregate amount on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest not previously released to the Corporation to pay taxes, by (B) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares.
(c) If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, 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(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), shall be restricted from redeeming Offering Shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Offering Shares without the consent of the Corporation.
(d) In the event that the Corporation has not consummated an initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Offering, the Corporation shall (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 subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the Offering Shares in consideration of a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution expenses), by (B) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish the rights of the Public Stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and the Board in accordance with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Corporations obligations under the DGCL to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law.
11
(e) If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall consummate the proposed initial Business Combination only if (i) such initial Business Combination is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of the Common Stock that are voted at a stockholder meeting held to consider such initial Business Combination and (ii) the Redemption Limitation is not exceeded.
(f) If the Corporation conducts a tender offer pursuant to Section 9.2(b), the Corporation shall consummate the proposed initial Business Combination only if the Redemption Limitation is not exceeded.
Section 9.3 Distributions from the Trust Account.
(a) A Public Stockholder shall be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only as provided in Section 9.2(a), Section 9.2(b), Section 9.2(d) or Section 9.7. In no other circumstances shall a Public Stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in or to distributions from the Trust Account, and no stockholder other than a Public Stockholder shall have any interest in or to the Trust Account.
(b) Each Public Stockholder that does not exercise its Redemption Rights shall retain its interest in the Corporation and shall be deemed to have given its consent to the release of the remaining funds in the Trust Account to the Corporation, and following payment to any Public Stockholders exercising their Redemption Rights, the remaining funds in the Trust Account shall be released to the Corporation.
(c) The exercise by a Public Stockholder of the Redemption Rights (and any withdrawal of any exercise of such rights) shall be conditioned on such Public Stockholder following the specific procedures for redemptions (or withdrawals, as applicable) set forth by the Corporation in any applicable tender offer or proxy materials sent to the Public Stockholders relating to the proposed initial Business Combination. Payment of the amounts necessary to satisfy the Redemption Rights properly exercised shall be made as promptly as practical after the consummation of the initial Business Combination.
Section 9.4 Share Issuances. Prior to the consummation of the Corporations initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall not issue any additional shares of capital stock of the Corporation that would entitle the holders thereof to (a) receive funds from the Trust Account or (b) vote as a class with the Class A Common Stock (i) on any initial Business Combination or (ii) to approve an amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate to (x) extend the time the Corporation has to consummate its initial Business Combination beyond 24 months from the closing of the Offering or (y) amend this Section 9.4.
Section 9.5 Transactions with Affiliates. In the event the Corporation enters into an initial Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with the Sponsor, or the directors or officers of the Corporation, the Corporation, or a committee of the independent and disinterested directors of the Corporation, shall obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or from an independent accounting firm that such Business Combination is fair to the Corporation from a financial point of view.
12
Section 9.6 No Transactions with Other Blank Check Companies. The Corporation shall not enter into an initial Business Combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
Section 9.7 Additional Redemption Rights. If, in accordance with Section 9.1(a), any amendment is made to this Amended and Restated Certificate (a) to modify the substance or timing of the Corporations obligation to allow redemption in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Corporation has not consummated an initial Business Combination within 24 months from the date of the closing of the Offering, or (b) with respect to any other provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, the Public Stockholders shall be provided with the opportunity to redeem their Offering Shares upon the approval of any such amendment, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Corporation to pay its taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares. The Corporations ability to provide such opportunity is subject to the Corporation having net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Exchange Act) (or any successor rule)) of at least $5,000,001 upon such amendment.
Section 9.8 Minimum Value of Target. The Corporations initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the Corporation signing a definitive agreement in connection with its initial Business Combination.
Section 9.9 Appointment and Removal of Directors. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Amended and Restated Certificate, prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the holders of Class B Common Stock shall have the exclusive right to elect and remove any director, and the holders of Class A Common Stock shall have no right to vote on the election or removal of any director. This Section 9.9 may only be amended by a resolution passed by a holders of at least a majority of the outstanding Class B Common Stock.
ARTICLE X
CORPORATE OPPORTUNITY
To the extent allowed by law, the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine, shall not apply with respect to the Corporation or any of its officers or directors, and the Corporation renounces any expectancy that any of the directors or officers of the Corporation will offer any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to the Corporation, except, the doctrine of corporate opportunity shall apply with respect to any of the directors or officers of the Corporation only with respect to a corporate opportunity that
13
was offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation and such opportunity is one the Corporation is legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for the Corporation to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to the Corporation without violating any legal obligation.
ARTICLE XI
AMENDMENT OF AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
The Corporation reserves the right at any time and from time to time to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), and other provisions authorized by the laws of the State of Delaware at the time in force that may be added or inserted, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by this Amended and Restated Certificate and the DGCL; and, except as set forth in Article VIII, all rights, preferences and privileges of whatever nature herein conferred upon stockholders, directors or any other persons by and pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate in its present form or as hereafter amended are granted subject to the right reserved in this Article XI; provided, however, that Article IX of this Amended and Restated Certificate may be amended only as provided therein.
ARTICLE XII
EXCLUSIVE FORUM FOR CERTAIN LAWSUITS
Section 12.1 Forum. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (the Court of Chancery) shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder (including a beneficial owner) to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporations stockholders, or any claim for aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (iii) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or this Amended and Restated Certificate or the Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine, except for, as to each of (i) through (iv) above, any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) arising under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall concurrently be the sole and exclusive forums.
Section 12.2 Consent to Jurisdiction. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope of Section 12.1 immediately above is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a Foreign Action) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce Section 12.1 immediately above (an FSC Enforcement Action) and (ii) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such FSC Enforcement Action by service upon such stockholders counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such stockholder.
14
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any security of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to this Article XII. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Article XII shall not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction.
ARTICLE XIII
SEVERABILITY
If any provision or provisions (or any part thereof) of this Amended and Restated Certificate shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, (i) the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Amended and Restated Certificate containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and (ii) the provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Amended and Restated Certificate containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to permit the Corporation to protect its directors, officers, employees and agents from personal liability in respect of their faith service or for the benefit of the Corporation to the fullest extent permitted by law.
[Signature page follows]
15
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Stillwater Growth Corp. I has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate to be duly executed and acknowledged in its name and on its behalf by an authorized officer as of the date first set forth above.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I | ||
By: | ||
Name: | Bryant Williams | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
[Signature Page to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation]
Exhibit 4.1
NUMBER | ||
U- | UNITS |
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
CUSIP []
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
UNITS CONSISTING OF ONE SHARE OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND ONE-
THIRD OF ONE REDEEMABLE WARRANT, EACH WHOLE WARRANT
ENTITLING THE HOLDER TO PURCHASE ONE SHARE OF CLASS A COMMON
STOCK
THIS CERTIFIES THAT____________________is the owner of___________Units.
Each Unit (Unit) consists of one (1) share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (Common Stock), of Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and one-third (1/3) of one redeemable warrant (a Warrant). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) share (subject to adjustment) of Common Stock for $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Each whole Warrant will become exercisable thirty (30) days after the Companys completion of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (each a Business Combination), and will expire unless exercised before 5:00 p.m., New York City Time, on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation (the Expiration Date). The Common Stock and Warrants comprising the Units represented by this certificate are not transferable separately prior to , 2022 unless BofA Securities, Inc. elects to allow separate trading earlier, subject to the Companys filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the Companys receipt of the gross proceeds of the Companys initial public offering and issuing a press release announcing when separate trading will begin. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units. The terms of the Warrants are governed by a Warrant Agreement, dated as of , 2022, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant Agent, and are subject to the terms and provisions contained therein, all of which terms and provisions the holder of this certificate consents to by acceptance hereof. Copies of the Warrant Agreement are on file at the office of the Warrant Agent at 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004, and are available to any Warrant holder on written request and without cost.
Upon the consummation of the Companys initial Business Combination, the Units represented by this certificate shall automatically separate into the Common Stock and Warrants comprising such Units.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and Registrar of the Company.
This certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
Witness the facsimile signature of its duly authorized officers.
___________________________________ Secretary |
_________________________________ Chief Financial Officer | |||
___________________________________ Transfer Agent |
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
The Company will furnish without charge to each unitholder who so requests, a statement of the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights.
The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:
TEN COM | | as tenants in common | UNIF GIFT | | ||||||||||
MIN ACT |
|
Custodian |
| |||||||||||
TEN ENT | | as tenants by the entireties | (Cust) | (Minor) | ||||||||||
JT TEN | | as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common | under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act | |||||||||||
(State) |
Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.
2
For value received, ________________ hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto
PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF
ASSIGNEE
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF
ASSIGNEE)
__________________________________Units represented by the within Certificate, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint _______________________ Attorney to transfer the said Units on the books of the within named Company with full power of substitution in the premises.
Dated____________ |
||||
Notice: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever. |
Signature(s) Guaranteed:
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE).
In each case, as more fully described in the Companys final prospectus dated , 2021, the holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with its initial public offering only in the event that (i) the Company redeems the shares of Common Stock sold in its initial public offering and liquidates because it does not consummate an initial Business Combination by the date set forth in the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation, (ii) the Company redeems the shares of Common Stock sold in its initial public offering in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Companys obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Companys initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Common Stock if it does not consummate an initial Business Combination by the date set forth in the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation or with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of the Common Stock or pre-initial Business Combination activity, or (iii) if the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her or its respective shares of Common Stock in connection with a tender offer (or proxy solicitation, solely in the event the Company seeks stockholder approval of the proposed initial Business Combination) setting forth the details of a proposed initial Business Combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.
3
Exhibit 4.2
NUMBER | ||
C- | SHARES |
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
CUSIP [●]
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
CLASS A COMMON STOCK
THIS CERTIFIES THAT _______________________is the owner of _______________
FULLY PAID AND NON-ASSESSABLE SHARES OF THE PAR VALUE OF $0.0001
EACH OF THE CLASS A COMMON STOCK OF
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
(THE CORPORATION)
transferable on the books of the Corporation in person or by duly authorized attorney upon surrender of this certificate properly endorsed.
The Corporation will be forced to redeem all of its shares of Class A common stock if it is unable to complete a business combination by , 2024 (or during any extended time that the Corporation has to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend the Corporations amended and restated certificate of incorporation), all as more fully described in the Corporations prospectus dated , 2022.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and Registrar of the Corporation.
1
Witness the seal of the Corporation and the facsimile signatures of its duly authorized officers.
Dated:
[Corporate Seal]
Delaware
|
| |||
Secretary | Chief Financial Officer | |||
|
||||
Transfer Agent |
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
The Corporation will furnish without charge to each stockholder who so requests, the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof of the Corporation and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights. This certificate and the shares represented thereby are issued and shall be held subject to all the provisions of the Corporations amended and restated certificate of incorporation and all amendments thereto and resolutions of the Corporations Board of Directors providing for the issue of securities (copies of which may be obtained from the secretary of the Corporation), to all of which the holder of this certificate by acceptance hereof assents. The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:
TEN COM | | as tenants in common | UNIF GIFT | | ||||||||||
MIN ACT |
|
Custodian |
| |||||||||||
TEN ENT | | as tenants by the entireties | (Cust) | (Minor) | ||||||||||
JT TEN | | as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common | under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
(State) |
Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.
2
For value received, hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto
(PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER(S) OF ASSIGNEE(S))
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES), INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE(S))
Shares of the capital stock represented by the within Certificate, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint
Attorney to transfer the said stock on the books of the within named Corporation with full power of substitution in the premises.
Dated: |
| |
Shareholder |
Notice: The signature(s) to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.
Signature(s) Guaranteed:
By
|
|
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE).
In each case, as more fully described in the Corporations final prospectus dated , 2021, the holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with its initial public offering only in the event that (i) the Corporation redeems the shares of Class A common stock sold in its initial public offering and liquidates because it does not consummate an initial business combination by the date set forth in the Corporations amended and restated certificate of incorporation, (ii) the Corporation redeems the shares of Class A common stock sold in its initial public offering in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Corporations amended and restated certificate
3
of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Corporations obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Corporations initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Class A common stock if it does not consummate an initial business combination by the date set forth in the Corporations amended and restated certificate of incorporation or with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of the Class A common stock or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) if the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her or its respective shares of Class A common stock in connection with a tender offer (or proxy solicitation, solely in the event the Corporation seeks stockholder approval of the proposed initial business combination) setting forth the details of a proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.
4
Exhibit 4.4
FORM OF PUBLIC WARRANT AGREEMENT
THIS PUBLIC WARRANT AGREEMENT, dated as of [ ], 2022 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this Agreement), is by and between Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (the Warrant Agent).
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in an initial public offering (the Offering) of units of the Companys equity securities, each such unit comprised of one share of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (Common Stock), and one-third of one redeemable Warrant (as defined below) (the Units) and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 7,666,667 redeemable Warrants (including up to 1,000,000 redeemable Warrants if the Over-Allotment Option, as defined in Section 2.4, is exercised in full) to public investors in the Offering (as defined below) (the Warrants);
WHEREAS, on [ ], 2022, the Company entered into that certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement with D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Sponsor), pursuant to which the Sponsor will purchase an aggregate of 4,816,667 warrants (or up to 5,266,667 warrants if the underwriters in the Offering exercise their over-allotment option in full) simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (and the closing of the over-allotment option, if applicable) (the Private Placement Warrants) at a purchase price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant;
WHEREAS, each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein;
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) one or more registration statements (together, the Registration Statement) and the related final prospectus (the Prospectus), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), of the issuance of the Units, the Warrants and the shares of Common Stock included in the Units;
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent (in the case of definitive physical warrant certificates) or otherwise registered (in the case of book entry warrants), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2. Warrants.
2.1 Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only. Warrants may be represented by one or more physical definitive certificates or by book-entry.
2.2 Effect of Countersignature. If a physical definitive certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent, either by manual or facsimile signature, pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant certificate shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3 Registration.
2.3.1 Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the Warrant Register) for the registration of the initial issuance of the Warrants and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants in book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. All of the Warrants shall initially be registered in the name of the nominee designated by The Depository Trust Company (the Depository) and registered in the name of a nominee of the Depository. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Warrants, registered in the name of the Depository, shall be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by the Depository and institutions that have accounts with the Depository (such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a Participant).
If the Depository subsequently ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent regarding making other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have the Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall provide written instructions to the Depository to deliver to the Warrant Agent for cancellation each book-entry Warrant, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to the Depository definitive certificates in physical form evidencing such Warrants which shall be in the form annexed hereto as Exhibit A.
Physical definitive certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the Board), Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President, the Treasurer or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before the Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
2
2.3.2 Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the Registered Holder) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on any physical definitive certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent) for the purpose of any exercise thereof and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
2.4 Detachability of Warrants. The shares of Common Stock and the Warrants comprising the Units shall begin separate trading on the fifty-second (52nd) day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such fifty-second (52nd) day is not on a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a Business Day), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following such date, or earlier (the Detachment Date) with the consent of the underwriter(s) or representative(s) of the underwriters identified in the Prospectus with the respect to such consent, but in no event shall the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants comprising the Units be separately traded until (A) the Company has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the Offering, including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise by the underwriters of their right to purchase additional Units in the Offering (the Over-Allotment Option), if the Over-Allotment Option is exercised prior to the filing of such Form 8-K, and a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters Over-Allotment option, if the Over-Allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, and (B) the Company issues a press release and files with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin.
2.5 No Fractional Warrants Other Than as Part of Units. The Company shall not issue fractional Warrants other than as part of the Units. If, upon the detachment of the Warrants from the Units or otherwise, a holder of the Warrants would be entitled to receive a fractional Warrant, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number of the Warrants to be issued to such holder.
3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1 Warrant Price. Each Warrant shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 and in the penultimate sentence of this Section 3.1. The term Warrant Price as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share (including in cash or by payment for the Warrants pursuant to a cashless exercise, to the extent permitted hereunder) at which each share of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration
3
Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than fifteen (15) Business Days (unless otherwise registered by the Commission, any national securities exchange upon which the Warrants are then listed or applicable law); provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least three (3) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further, that any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants. The term Business Day means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, or which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business.
3.2 Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the Exercise Period) (A) commencing the date that is thirty (30) days after the first date on which the Company completes a merger, stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a Business Combination), and (B) terminating upon the earliest to occur of (x) at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination, (y) the liquidation of the Company in accordance with the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation (as further amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Certificate of Incorporation), if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination and (z) at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Redemption Date (as defined below) as provided in Section 6.2 (the Expiration Date); provided, however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2 with respect to an effective registration statement or a valid exemption being available. Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price (as defined below) in the event of a redemption (as set forth in Section 6), each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become null and void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further, that any such extension shall be identical in duration among all of the Warrants.
3.3 Exercise of Warrants.
3.3.1 Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by delivering to the Warrant Agent at its corporate trust department (i) the Definitive Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants to be exercised or, in the case of a Warrant represented by a book-entry, the Warrants to be exercised (the Book-Entry Warrants) on the records of the Depository to an account of the Warrant Agent at the Depository designated for such purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depository from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase (Election to Purchase) any Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant, properly completed and executed by the Registered Holder on the reverse of the Definitive Warrant Certificate or, in the case of a Book-Entry Warrant, properly delivered by the Participant in accordance with the Depositorys procedures, and (iii) the payment in full of the Warrant Price for each full share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such shares of Common Stock, as follows:
4
(a) in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant Agent or by wire transfer of immediately available funds;
(b) in the event of a redemption pursuant to Section 6.1 in which the Company elects to require holders of the Warrants to exercise the Warrants on a cashless basis, 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 excess of the Fair Market Value (as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b)) of the number of shares of Common Stock over the Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b), the Fair Market Value shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of the Common Stock as reported for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Warrants pursuant to Section 6.2; and
(c) as provided in Section 7.4.
The Warrant Agent shall forward funds received for warrant exercises in a given month by the fifth (5th) business day of the following month by wire transfer to an account designated by the Company. Only whole Warrants are exercisable and a holder of the Warrants will not be able to exercise any fraction of a warrant.
3.3.2 Issuance of Shares of Common Stock on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a)), the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned physical definitive Warrant, as applicable, for the number of shares of Common Stock as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current or a valid exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. The Company may require holders of the Warrants to settle the Warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to Section 7.4.2. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a cashless basis, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
5
3.3.3 Valid Issuance. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3.3.4 Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock on the date on which the Warrant, or book-entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate in the case of a certificated Warrant, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares of Common Stock at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are open.
3.3.5 Maximum Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; provided, however, that no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holders Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such persons affiliates), to the Warrant Agents actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% or such other amount as the electing holder may specify (the Maximum Percentage) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (1) the Companys most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or the transfer agent for the Common Stock setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then issued and outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of
6
Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
4. Adjustments.
4.1 Stock Dividends.
4.1.1 Share Dividends; Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the Fair Market Value (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the shares of Common Stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, in determining the price payable for the shares of Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) Fair Market Value means the volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first (1st) date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
4.1.2 Extraordinary Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common Stock (or other shares of the Companys capital stock into which the Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in subsection 4.1.1, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation, or (e) in connection with the redemption of shares of Common Stock included in the Units sold in the Offering upon the Companys failure to complete the Companys initial Business Combination and any subsequent distribution of its assets upon its liquidation (any such non-excluded event, an Extraordinary Dividend), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Board in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each shares of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.2, Ordinary Cash Dividends means any cash dividend or cash distribution which,
7
when combined on a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the shares of Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does not exceed $0.50 (being five percent (5%) of the offering price of the Units in the Offering), which amount shall be adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or other cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of each Warrant.
4.2 Aggregation of Shares. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock.
4.3 Adjustments in Warrant Price. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
4.4 Capital Raised in Connection with the Initial Business Combination. If the Company issues additional shares of Common Stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Common Stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Board and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Class B common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (Class B Common Stock) held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance (the Newly Issued Price)), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than sixty percent (60%) of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Stock during the twenty (20) trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the Market Value) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to one-hundred-fifteen percent (115%) of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described in Section 6.1 shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to one-hundred-eighty percent (180%) of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
8
4.5 Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change under subsections 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 or Section 4.2 or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event (the Alternative Issuance); provided, however, that: (i) if the holders of the shares of Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election; (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the shares of Common Stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the Company as provided for in the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the redemption of the shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the shareholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of directors of the Company, of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the shares of Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; and (iii) if less than seventy percent (70%) of the consideration receivable by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is
9
quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference, if positive, of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below) (which amount determined under this clause (ii) shall not be less than zero). The Black-Scholes Warrant Value means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes model as calculated by an accounting, appraisal, investment banking firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith judgment of the Board, qualified to make such calculation. Per Share Consideration means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the shares of Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in shares of Common Stock covered by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, 4.3 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
4.6 Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based; provided, however, that no adjustment to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant shall be required until cumulative adjustments amount to one percent (1%) or more of the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant as last adjusted; provided, further, that any such adjustments that are not made are carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all such carried forward adjustments shall be made (i) in connection with any subsequent adjustment that (taken together with such carried forward adjustments) would result in a change of at least one percent (1%) in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant and (ii) on the exercise date of any Warrant. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.5 in connection with which an adjustment is made to the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
4.7 No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue a fractional share of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the
10
holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
4.8 Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares of Common Stock as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.
4.9 No Adjustment. For the avoidance of doubt, no adjustment shall be made to the terms of the Warrants solely as a result of an adjustment to the conversion ratio of the Class B Common Stock into shares of Common Stock or the conversion of the Class B Common Stock into shares of Common Stock, in each case, pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.
5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.
5.1 Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, in the case of certificated warrants, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.2 Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided herein or with respect to any book entry Warrant, each book entry Warrant may be transferred only in whole and only to the Depository, to another nominee of the Depository, to a successor depository or to a nominee of a successor depository; provided, further, that, in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
5.3 Transfers of Fractions of Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange of the Warrants which would require the issuance of a Warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant, except as part of the Units.
11
5.4 Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.5 Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
5.6 Transfer of Warrants. Prior to the Detachment Date, the Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such Unit. Furthermore, each transfer of a Unit on the register relating to such Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included in such Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 5.6 shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants on and after the Detachment Date.
6. Redemption of Warrants.
6.1 Redemption of Warrants for Cash. Not less than all of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed for cash, at the option of the Company, at any time while they are exercisable and prior to their expiration, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon notice to the Registered Holders of the Warrants, as described in Section 6.2, at the price of $0.01 per Warrant (the Redemption Price); provided, however, that the last reported sale price of the Common Stock has been at least $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment in compliance with Section 4) for any ten (10) trading days within the twenty (20) trading-day period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the Registered Holders; provided, further, that there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the Redemption Period (as defined in Section 6.2) or the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to Section 3.3.1 and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act.
6.2 Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption. In the event that the Company elects to redeem all of the Warrants pursuant to Section 6.1 or 6.2, the Company shall fix a date for the redemption (the Redemption Date). Notice of redemption shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date (such 30-Day period, the Redemption Period) to the Registered Holders of the Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the Registered Holder received such notice.
6.3 Exercise After Notice of Redemption. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a cashless basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1, if applicable) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section 6.2 and prior to the Redemption Date. In the event that the Company determines to require all holders of Warrants to exercise their Warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1, the notice of redemption shall contain instructions on how to calculate the number of the number of shares of Common
12
Stock to be received upon exercise of the Warrants. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Warrants, the Redemption Price.
7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.
7.1 No Rights as Stockholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholder in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
7.2 Lost, Stolen, Mutilated or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, and countersigned by the Warrant Agent. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone. The Warrant Agent may, at its option, countersign replacement Warrants for mutilated certificates upon presentation thereof without such indemnity.
7.3 Reservation of Shares of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.
7.4 Registration of Shares of Common Stock; Cashless Exercise at Companys Option.
7.4.1 Registration of the Common Stock. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty (20) Business Days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) Business Days following the closing of the initial Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the sixtieth (60th) Business Day following the closing of the Companys initial Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the sixty-first (61st) Business Day after the closing of the Companys initial Business Combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to exercise such Warrants on a cashless basis, by exchanging the Warrants (in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor statute) or another
13
exemption) 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 excess of the Fair Market Value (as defined below) less the Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 7.4.1, Fair Market Value shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is sent to the Warrant Agent from the holder of such Warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. The date that notice of cashless exercise is received by the Warrant Agent shall be conclusively determined by the Warrant Agent. In connection with the cashless exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall, upon request, provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with this subsection 7.4.1 is not required to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii) the shares of Common Stock issued upon such exercise shall be freely tradable under United States federal securities laws by anyone who is not (and has not been during the preceding three months) an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act (or any successor rule)) of the Company and, accordingly, shall not be required to bear a restrictive legend. Except as provided in subsection 7.4.2, for the avoidance of doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised or have expired, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this subsection 7.4.1.
7.4.2 Cashless Exercise at Companys Option. If the shares of Common Stock are at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a covered security under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act (or any successor statute), the Company may, at its option, require holders of Warrants who exercise Warrants to exercise such Warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor statute) as described in subsection 7.4.1 and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, but shall be required to use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify for sale the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the blue sky laws of the state of residence of the exercising Warrant holder to the extent an exemption is not available.
7.4.3 Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any time pursuant to this Agreement the Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis pursuant to both (i) subsection 3.3.1(b) and (ii) this Section 7.4, exercise of the Warrants must be completed pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b).
8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
8.1 Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company and the Warrant Agent shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares of Common Stock.
14
8.2 Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.
8.2.1 Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving ninety (90) days notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Companys cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be authorized under applicable laws to exercise the powers of a transfer agent and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed but, if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder and, upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations.
8.2.2 Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Companys transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
8.2.3 Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any entity into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
8.3 Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.
8.3.1 Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
8.3.2 Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver, or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered, all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
15
8.4 Liability of Warrant Agent.
8.4.1 Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4.2 Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own, or its representatives, gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agents or its representatives gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement.
8.4.3 Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment, nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.
8.5 Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Common Stock through the exercise of the Warrants.
8.6 Waiver. The Warrant Agent has no right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (Claim) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Warrant Agent, as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent hereby waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
16
9. Miscellaneous Provisions.
9.1 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
9.2 Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor
Burlingame, CA 94010
Attention: Bryant Williams
Email: bryant.williams@dbopartners.com
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Latham & Watkins LLP
140 Scott Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Attention: Tad J. Freese, Esq.
Email: tad.freese@lw.com
Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attention: Compliance Department
in each case, with a copy to:
Ropes & Gray LLP
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
Attention: Paul Tropp, Esq.
Email: paul.tropp@ropesgray.com
17
9.3 Applicable Law; Jurisdiction. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the federal district courts of the United States, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce (i) any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder for which Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction, (ii) with respect to suits brought in federal courts, any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder for which Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts or (iii) any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 9.3. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a foreign action) in the name of any holder of the Warrants, such holder of the Warrants shall be deemed to have consented to (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an enforcement action), and (y) having service of process made upon such holder of the Warrants in any such enforcement action by service upon such holders counsel in the foreign action as agent for such holders of the Warrants.
9.4 Compliance and Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent shall perform its duties under this Agreement in compliance with all applicable laws, including those relating to privacy, data protection and information security, shall keep confidential all information (including personally identifiable information and personal data) relating to this Agreement and, except as required by applicable law, shall not use such information for any purpose other than the performance of the Warrant Agents obligations under this Agreement.
9.5 Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
18
9.6 Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such holders Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.
9.7 Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
9.8 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
9.9 Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein, including to conform the provision of the Warrants and this Agreement to the description of the Warrants and this Agreement in the Prospectus, (ii) adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the rights of the Registered Holders under the Warrants and this Agreement or (iii) to provide for the delivery of an Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.5, to reflect changes to the definition of Ordinary Cash Dividend or to reflect other adjustments required by Section 4. All other modifications or amendments, including any modification or amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of fifty percent (50%) of the number of the then outstanding Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, without the consent of the Registered Holders. The Company covenants and agrees to not lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period of the Warrants without taking the same actions with respect to the Private Placement Warrants.
9.10 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
9.11 Business Continuity Plan. The Warrant Agent shall maintain plans for business continuity, disaster recovery, and backup capabilities and facilities designed to ensure the Warrant Agents continued performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including, without limitation, loss of production, loss of systems, loss of equipment, failure of carriers and the failure of the Warrant Agents or its suppliers equipment, computer systems or business systems (Business Continuity Plan). Such Business Continuity Plan shall include, but shall not be limited to, testing, accountability and corrective actions designed to be promptly implemented, if necessary. In addition, in the event that the Warrant Agent has knowledge of an incident affecting
19
the integrity or availability of such Business Continuity Plan, then the Warrant Agent shall, as promptly as practicable, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours (or sooner to the extent required by applicable law or regulation) after the Warrant Agent becomes aware of such incident, notify the Company in writing of such incident and provide the Company with updates, as deemed appropriate by the Warrant Agent under the circumstances, with respect to the status of all related remediation efforts in connection with such incident. The Warrant Agent represents that, as of the date of this Agreement, such Business Continuity Plan is active and functioning normally in all material respects.
9.12 Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent and the Company agree that all books, records, information and data pertaining to the business of the other party, including, inter alia, personal, non-public warrant holder information, which are exchanged or received pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this Warrant Agreement, including the fees for services, shall remain confidential, and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by law or regulation, including, without limitation, pursuant to requests from the Securities and Exchange Commission and subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (e.g., in divorce and criminal actions).
Exhibit A Form of Warrant Certificate
20
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | Mark Bradley | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, | ||
as Warrant Agent | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Warrant AgreementStillwater Growth Corp. I]
EXHIBIT A
SPECIMEN WARRANT CERTIFICATE
NUMBER W[ ] |
[ ] WARRANTS | |
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS | CUSIP [ ] |
WARRANTS
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO THE
EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
Incorporated Under the Laws of the State of Delaware
THIS WARRANT CERTIFICATE CERTIFIES THAT [ ], or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the Warrants and, each, a Warrant) to purchase shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (Common Stock), of Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock as set forth below, at the exercise price (the Warrant Price) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price (or through cashless exercise as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price per share of Common Stock for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
A-1
Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become null and void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
A-2
[REVERSE OF WARRANT CERTIFICATE]
The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive shares of Common Stock and are issued or to be issued pursuant to the warrant agreement, dated as of [__], 2022 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Warrant Agreement), by and between the Company to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (or successor warrant agent) (collectively, the Warrant Agent), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words holders or holder meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Warrant Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through cashless exercise as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the designated office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (a) (i) a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the shares of Common Stock is current or (b) the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise may be issued pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, including through cashless exercise as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides that, upon the occurrence of certain events the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Warrant Price set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the designated office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations
A-3
provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other third party charge imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.
A-4
ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive [ ] shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment for such shares of Common Stock to the order of Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) in the amount of $[ ] in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ]. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ].
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a cashless basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a cashless basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive shares of Common Stock. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ].
[Signature Page Follows]
Date: , 202[ ]
|
(Signature) |
|
|
|
(Address) |
|
(Tax Identification Number) |
A-5
Signature(s) Guaranteed:
| ||
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE). |
A-6
Exhibit 4.5
FORM OF PRIVATE WARRANT AGREEMENT
THIS PRIVATE WARRANT AGREEMENT, dated as of [ ], 2022 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this Agreement), is by and between Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (the Warrant Agent).
WHEREAS, on [ ], 2022, the Company entered into that certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement with D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Sponsor), pursuant to which the Sponsor will purchase an aggregate of 3,816,667 warrants (or up to 4,116,667 warrants if the underwriters in the Offering, as defined below, exercise their over-allotment option in full) simultaneously with the closing of the Offering (and the closing of the over-allotment option, if applicable) bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit A hereto (the Private Placement Warrants) at a purchase price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant;
WHEREAS, in order to finance the Companys transaction costs in connection with an intended initial merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a Business Combination), the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Companys officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan to the Company funds as the Company may require, of which up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into up to an additional 1,000,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant (the Working Capital Warrants and, together with the Private Placement Warrants, the Warrants);
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in an initial public offering (the Offering) of units of the Companys equity securities, each such unit comprised of one share of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (Common Stock), and one-third of one redeemable warrant (the Public Warrants, which, with the Common Stock, comprise the Units) and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 7,666,667 redeemable Public Warrants (including up to 1,000,000 redeemable Public Warrants subject to the over-allotment option) to public investors in the Offering;
WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) one or more registration statements (together, the Registration Statement) and the related final prospectus (the Prospectus), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), of the issuance of the Units and the Public Warrants and the shares of Common Stock included in the Units;
WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent (in the case of definitive physical warrant certificates) or otherwise registered (in the case of book entry warrants), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2. Warrants.
2.1 Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only. Warrants may be represented by one or more physical definitive certificates or by book-entry.
2.2 Effect of Countersignature. If a physical definitive certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent, either by manual or facsimile signature, pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant certificate shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3 Registration.
2.3.1 Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the Warrant Register) for the registration of the initial issuance of the Warrants and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants in book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. All of the Public Warrants shall initially be registered in the name of the nominee designated by The Depository Trust Company (the Depository) and registered in the name of a nominee of the Depository. If requested, the Registered Holder (as defined below) shall be issued a definitive certificate in physical form evidencing such Warrants, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the Definitive Warrant Certificate).
Physical definitive certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the Board), Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President, the Treasurer or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before the Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
2
2.3.2 Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the Registered Holder) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on any physical definitive certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent) for the purpose of any exercise thereof and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1 Warrant Price. Each Warrant shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 and in the penultimate sentence of this Section 3.1. The term Warrant Price as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share (including in cash or by payment for the Warrants pursuant to a cashless exercise, to the extent permitted hereunder) at which each share of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than fifteen (15) Business Days (unless otherwise registered by the Commission, any national securities exchange upon which the Warrants are then listed or applicable law); provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least three (3) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further, that any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants. The term Business Day means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, or which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business.
3.2 Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the Exercise Period) (A) commencing on the date that is thirty (30) days after the first date on which the Company completes a Business Combination, and (B) terminating upon the earliest to occur of (x) at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination and (y) the liquidation of the Company in accordance with the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation (as further amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Certificate of Incorporation), if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination (the Expiration Date); provided, however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2 with respect to an effective registration statement or a valid exemption being available. Each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become null and void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further, that any such extension shall be identical in duration among all of the Warrants.
3
3.3 Exercise of Warrants.
3.3.1 Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by delivering to the Warrant Agent at its corporate trust department (i) the Definitive Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants to be exercised or, in the case of a Warrant represented by a book-entry, the Warrants to be exercised (the Book-Entry Warrants) on the records of The Depository Trust Company (the Depository) to an account of the Warrant Agent at the Depository designated for such purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depository from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase (Election to Purchase) any Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant, properly completed and executed by the Registered Holder on the reverse of the Definitive Warrant Certificate or, in the case of a Book-Entry Warrant, properly delivered by the institutions that have accounts with the Depository in accordance with the Depositorys procedures, and (iii) the payment in full of the Warrant Price for each full share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such shares of Common Stock, as follows:
(a) in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant Agent or by wire transfer of immediately available funds;
(b) 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 excess of the Fair Market Value (as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b)) of the Common Stock over the Warrant Price by (y) the Sponsor Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b), the Sponsor Fair Market Value shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of the Common Stock as reported for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise of the Private Placement Warrant or Working Capital Warrant is sent to the Warrant Agent;
(c) as provided in Section 6.4.
Only whole Warrants are exercisable and a holder of the Public Warrants will not be able to exercise any fraction of a Warrant.
3.3.2 Issuance of Shares of Common Stock on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a)), the Company shall issue to the Registered Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned physical definitive Warrant, as applicable, for the number of shares of Common Stock as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current or a valid exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares
4
of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a cashless basis, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
3.3.3 Valid Issuance. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3.3.4 Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock on the date on which the Warrant, or book-entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate in the case of a certificated Warrant, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares of Common Stock at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are open.
3.3.5 Maximum Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; provided, however, that no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holders Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such persons affiliates), to the Warrant Agents actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% or such other amount as the electing holder may specify (the Maximum Percentage) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (1) the Companys most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing
5
with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or the transfer agent for the Common Stock setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then issued and outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
4. Adjustments.
4.1 Stock Dividends.
4.1.1 Share Dividends; Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the Fair Market Value (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the shares of Common Stock) multiplied by (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Common Stock, in determining the price payable for the shares of Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) Fair Market Value means the volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first (1st) date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
4.1.2 Extraordinary Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common Stock (or other shares of the Companys capital stock into which the Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in subsection 4.1.1, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation in accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation,
6
or (e) in connection with the redemption of shares of Common Stock included in the Units sold in the Offering upon the Companys failure to complete the Companys initial Business Combination and any subsequent distribution of its assets upon its liquidation (any such non-excluded event, an Extraordinary Dividend), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Board in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each shares of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.2, Ordinary Cash Dividends means any cash dividend or cash distribution which, when combined on a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the shares of Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does not exceed $0.50 (being five percent (5%) of the offering price of the Units in the Offering), which amount shall be adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or other cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of each Warrant.
4.2 Aggregation of Shares. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock.
4.3 Adjustments in Warrant Price. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
4.4 Capital Raised in Connection with the Initial Business Combination. If the Company issues additional shares of Common Stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Common Stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Board and, in the case of any such issuance to D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Sponsor) or its affiliates, without taking into account any Class B common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (Class B Common Stock) held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance (the Newly Issued Price)), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than sixty percent (60%) of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average
7
trading price of the Common Stock during the twenty (20) trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the Market Value) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to one-hundred-fifteen percent (115%) of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
4.5 Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change under subsections 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 or Section 4.2 or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event (the Alternative Issuance); provided, however, that: (i) if the holders of the shares of Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election; (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the shares of Common Stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the Company as provided for in the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the redemption of the shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the shareholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of directors of the Company, of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the shares of Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to
8
such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; and (iii) if less than seventy percent (70%) of the consideration receivable by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference, if positive, of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below) (which amount determined under this clause (ii) shall not be less than zero). The Black-Scholes Warrant Value means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes model as calculated by an accounting, appraisal, investment banking firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith judgment of the Board, qualified to make such calculation. Per Share Consideration means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the shares of Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in shares of Common Stock covered by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections 4.2, 4.3 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
4.6 Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based; provided, however, that no adjustment to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant shall be required until cumulative adjustments amount to one percent (1%) or more of the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant as last adjusted; provided, further, that any such adjustments that are not made are carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all such carried forward adjustments shall be made (i) in connection with any subsequent adjustment that (taken together with such carried forward adjustments) would result in a change of at least one percent (1%) in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant and (ii) on the exercise date of any Warrant. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.5 in connection with which an adjustment is made to the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
9
4.7 No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue a fractional share of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
4.8 Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares of Common Stock as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.
4.9 No Adjustment. For the avoidance of doubt, no adjustment shall be made to the terms of the Warrants solely as a result of an adjustment to the conversion ratio of the Class B Common Stock into shares of Common Stock or the conversion of the Class B Common Stock into shares of Common Stock, in each case, pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.
5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.
5.1 Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, in the case of certificated warrants, properly endorsed with signatures properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.2 Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided herein or with respect to any book entry Warrant, each book entry Warrant may be transferred only in whole and only to the Depository, to another nominee of the Depository, to a successor depository or to a nominee of a successor depository; provided, further, that, in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
10
5.3 Transfers of Fractions of Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange of the Warrants which would require the issuance of a Warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant.
5.4 Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.5 Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
6. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.
6.1 No Rights as Stockholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholder in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.
6.2 Lost, Stolen, Mutilated or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, and countersigned by the Warrant Agent. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone. The Warrant Agent may, at its option, countersign replacement Warrants for mutilated certificates upon presentation thereof without such indemnity.
6.3 Reservation of Shares of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.
6.4 Registration of Shares of Common Stock. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty (20) Business Days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) Business Days following the closing of the initial Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
11
7. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
7.1 Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company and the Warrant Agent shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares of Common Stock.
7.2 Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.
7.2.1 Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving ninety (90) days notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Companys cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be authorized under applicable laws to exercise the powers of a transfer agent and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed but, if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder and, upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations.
7.2.2 Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Companys transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.
7.2.3 Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any entity into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
12
7.3 Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.
7.3.1 Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
7.3.2 Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver, or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered, all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
7.4 Liability of Warrant Agent.
7.4.1 Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
7.4.2 Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own, or its representatives, gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agents or its representatives gross negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement.
7.4.3 Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment, nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.
7.5 Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Common Stock through the exercise of the Warrants.
13
7.6 Waiver. The Warrant Agent has no right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (Claim) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent hereby waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
8. Miscellaneous Provisions.
8.1 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
8.2 Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor
Burlingame, CA 94010
Attention: Bryant Williams
Email: bryant.williams@dbopartners.com
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Latham & Watkins LLP
140 Scott Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Attention: Tad J. Freese, Esq.
Email: tad.freese@lw.com
Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attention: Compliance Department
14
in each case, with a copy to:
Ropes & Gray LLP
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
Attention: Paul Tropp, Esq.
Email: paul.tropp@ropesgray.com
8.3 Applicable Law; Jurisdiction. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the federal district courts of the United States, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce (i) any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder for which Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction, (ii) with respect to suits brought in federal courts, any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder for which Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts or (iii) any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 8.3. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a foreign action) in the name of any holder of the Warrants, such holder of the Warrants shall be deemed to have consented to (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an enforcement action), and (y) having service of process made upon such holder of the Warrants in any such enforcement action by service upon such holders counsel in the foreign action as agent for such holders of the Warrants.
8.4 Compliance and Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent shall perform its duties under this Agreement in compliance with all applicable laws, including those relating to privacy, data protection and information security, shall keep confidential all information (including personally identifiable information and personal data) relating to this Agreement and, except as required by applicable law, shall not use such information for any purpose other than the performance of the Warrant Agents obligations under this Agreement.
15
8.5 Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
8.6 Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such holders Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.
8.7 Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
8.8 Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.
8.9 Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein, including to conform the provision of the Warrants and this Agreement to the description of the Warrants and this Agreement in the Prospectus, (ii) adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the rights of the Registered Holders under the Warrants and this Agreement or (iii) to provide for the delivery of an Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.5, to reflect changes to the definition of Ordinary Cash Dividend or to reflect other adjustments required by Section 4. All other modifications or amendments, including any modification or amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period shall require the vote or written consent of the Registered Holders of fifty percent (50%) of the number of the then outstanding Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, without the consent of the Registered Holders. The Company covenants and agrees to not lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period of the Warrants without taking the same actions with respect to the Public Warrants.
8.10 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
16
8.11 Business Continuity Plan. The Warrant Agent shall maintain plans for business continuity, disaster recovery, and backup capabilities and facilities designed to ensure the Warrant Agents continued performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including, without limitation, loss of production, loss of systems, loss of equipment, failure of carriers and the failure of the Warrant Agents or its suppliers equipment, computer systems or business systems (Business Continuity Plan). Such Business Continuity Plan shall include, but shall not be limited to, testing, accountability and corrective actions designed to be promptly implemented, if necessary. In addition, in the event that the Warrant Agent has knowledge of an incident affecting the integrity or availability of such Business Continuity Plan, then the Warrant Agent shall, as promptly as practicable, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours (or sooner to the extent required by applicable law or regulation) after the Warrant Agent becomes aware of such incident, notify the Company in writing of such incident and provide the Company with updates, as deemed appropriate by the Warrant Agent under the circumstances, with respect to the status of all related remediation efforts in connection with such incident. The Warrant Agent represents that, as of the date of this Agreement, such Business Continuity Plan is active and functioning normally in all material respects.
8.12 Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent and the Company agree that all books, records, information and data pertaining to the business of the other party, including, inter alia, personal, non-public warrant holder information, which are exchanged or received pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this Warrant Agreement, including the fees for services, shall remain confidential, and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by law or regulation, including, without limitation, pursuant to requests from the Securities and Exchange Commission and subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (e.g., in divorce and criminal actions).
17
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | Mark Bradley | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer | |
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, | ||
as Warrant Agent | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Warrant AgreementStillwater Growth Corp. I]
EXHIBIT A
LEGEND
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, SUBJECT TO ANY ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON TRANSFER DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER AGREEMENT (THE LETTER AGREEMENT) BY AND AMONG STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I (THE COMPANY), D SQUARED SPONSOR LLC AND THE OTHER PARTIES THERETO, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE UPON WHICH THE COMPANY COMPLETES ITS INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION (AS DEFINED IN THE RECITALS OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT REFERRED TO HEREIN) EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DESCRIBED IN SECTION 5(c) OF THE LETTER AGREEMENT) WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY AND CLASS A COMMON STOCK OF STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I (THE COMPANY) ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OF SUCH SECURITIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTRATION RIGHTS UNDER A REGISTRATION AND SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT TO BE EXECUTED BY THE COMPANY.
NO. [ ] WARRANT
B-1
EXHIBIT B
NUMBER W[ ] | NO. [ ] WARRANTS | |
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS | CUSIP [ ] |
WARRANTS
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO THE
EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
Incorporated Under the Laws of the State of Delaware
THIS WARRANT CERTIFICATE CERTIFIES THAT [ ], or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the Warrants and, each, a Warrant) to purchase shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (Common Stock), of Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock as set forth below, at the exercise price (the Warrant Price) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price (or through cashless exercise as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price per share of Common Stock for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become null and void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
B-1
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
B-2
[REVERSE OF WARRANT CERTIFICATE]
The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive shares of Common Stock and are issued or to be issued pursuant to the warrant agreement, dated as of [__], 2022 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Warrant Agreement), by and between the Company to Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (or successor warrant agent) (collectively, the Warrant Agent), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words holders or holder meaning the Registered Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Warrant Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through cashless exercise as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the designated office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the shares of Common Stock is current or (b) the Common Stock to be issued upon exercise may be issued pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, including through cashless exercise as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides that, upon the occurrence of certain events the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Warrant Price set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the designated office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
B-3
Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other third party charge imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.
B-4
ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive [ ] shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment for such shares of Common Stock to the order of Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) in the amount of $[ ] in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ]. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ].
In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a cashless basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive shares of Common Stock. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ].
[Signature Page Follows]
Date: , 202[ ]
|
(Signature) |
|
|
|
(Address) |
|
(Tax Identification Number) |
B-5
Signature(s) Guaranteed: |
|
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE). |
B-6
Exhibit 10.2
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I
OMNIBUS AMENDMENT TO
PROMISSORY NOTE
This Amendment (the Amendment), effective as of February 27, 2022, to that certain Promissory Note dated February 22, 2021 (the Note) issued by Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Maker), to D Squared Sponsor LLC (the Payee), is entered into by and among the Maker and the Payee.
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Note, the provisions of such Note may be amended or waived only with the written consent of the Maker and the Payee;
WHEREAS, the Maker and the Payee desire to amend the Note to extend the maturity date of the Note from February 28, 2022 to February 28, 2023.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | The first full sentence of paragraph 1 of the Note is hereby amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows: |
The entire unpaid principal balance of this Note shall be payable on the earlier of: (i) February 28, 2023 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an initial public offering of its securities (such earlier date of (i) and (ii), the Maturity Date).
2. | Except as expressly modified by this Amendment, the Note shall remain in full force and effect. |
3. | The parties agree to execute such further documents and instruments and to take such further actions as may be reasonably necessary to carry out the purposes and intent of this Amendment |
4. | All rights and obligations hereunder shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York. |
5. | This Amendment may be executed and delivered by facsimile, or electronically in portable document format (.pdf), in two or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original and all of which shall constitute the same document. |
[Signature Pages Follow]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Amendment to be executed as an instrument under seal as of the day and year first written above.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I |
By: | /s/ Mark Bradley | |
Name: | Mark Bradley | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
D SQUARED SPONSOR LLC | ||
By: DBO Partners Acquisition LLC | ||
Its Manager | ||
By: DBO Partners Holdings, LLC | ||
Its Manager |
By: | /s/ Mark Bradley | |
Name: | Mark Bradley | |
Title: | Member |
[Signature Page to Promissory Note Amendment]
Exhibit 10.3
FORM OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this Agreement), dated as of __________________, 2022, is made and entered into by and among Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Sponsor), and the undersigned parties listed under Holders on the signature page hereto (each such party, together with the Sponsor and any person or entity who hereafter becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.2 of this Agreement, a Holder and collectively the Holders).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company and the Sponsor have entered into that certain Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of February 22, 2021, as amended by that certain Forfeiture, by and between the Company and the Sponsor, dated April 9, 2022, pursuant to which the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares (the Founder Shares) of the Companys Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Class B Common Stock) (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised);
WHEREAS, on April 9, 2021, the Company transferred 25,000 Class B Common Stock to each of its three independent director nominees;
WHEREAS, the Founder Shares are convertible into shares of the Companys Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Common Stock), on the terms and conditions provided in the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as may be amended from time to time;
WHEREAS, on __________________, 2022, the Company and the Sponsor entered into that certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase 3,933,333 warrants (or up to 4,233,333 warrants if the over-allotment option in connection with the Companys initial public offering is exercised in full) (the Private Placement Warrants), in a private placement transaction occurring simultaneously with the closing of the Companys initial public offering;
WHEREAS, in order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance the Companys transaction costs in connection with an intended Business Combination (as defined below), the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Companys officers or directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as the Company may require, of which up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into an additional 1,000,000 Private Placement Warrants (the Working Capital Warrants); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Holders desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Company shall grant the Holders certain registration rights with respect to certain securities of the Company, as set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the representations, covenants and agreements contained herein, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I.
DEFINITIONS
1.1 Definitions. The terms defined in this Article I shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective meanings set forth below:
Adverse Disclosure shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the Chief Executive Officer or the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, (i) would be required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, and (iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.
Agreement shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
Board shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
Business Combination shall mean any merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses, involving the Company.
Founder Shares shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
Commission shall mean the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Common Stock shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
Company shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
Demand Registration shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
Demanding Holder shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
Exchange Act shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time.
Form S-1 shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
Form S-3 shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.
2
Founder Shares shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto and shall be deemed to include the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion thereof.
Founder Shares Lock-up Period shall mean, with respect to the Founder Shares, the period ending on the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of the Companys initial Business Combination and (B) subsequent to the Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Companys initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Companys public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property.
Holders shall have the meaning given in the Preamble.
Insider Letter shall mean that certain letter agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and among the Company, the Sponsor and each of the Companys officers, directors and director nominees.
Maximum Number of Securities shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.4.
Misstatement shall mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement or Prospectus or necessary to make the statements in a Registration Statement or Prospectus (in the case of any Prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.
Permitted Transferees shall mean a person or entity to whom a Holder of Registrable Securities is permitted to transfer such Registrable Securities prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period or Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, under the Insider Letter, this Agreement and any other applicable agreement between such Holder and the Company and to any transferee thereafter.
Piggyback Registration shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.
Private Placement Lock-up Period shall mean, with respect to Private Placement Warrants that are held by the initial purchasers of such Private Placement Warrants or their Permitted Transferees, and any of the Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise or conversion of the Private Placement Warrants and that are held by the initial purchasers of the Private Placement Warrants or their Permitted Transferees, the period ending 30 days after the completion of the Companys initial Business Combination.
Private Placement Warrants shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
Prospectus shall mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus.
3
Registrable Security shall mean (a) the Founder Shares (including any shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the conversion of any such Founder Shares), (b) the Private Placement Warrants (including any shares of the Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such Private Placement Warrants), (c) any outstanding share of the Common Stock or any other equity security (including the shares of the Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity security) of the Company held by a Holder as of the date of this Agreement, (d) any equity securities (including the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such equity security) of the Company issuable upon conversion of Working Capital Warrants, and (e) any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such share of the Common Stock by way of a stock dividend or stock split or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, merger, consolidation or reorganization; provided, however, that, as to any particular Registrable Security, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (A) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (B) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for such securities not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (C) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; (D) such securities are sold without registration pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act; or (E) such securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities transaction.
Registration shall mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.
Registration Expenses shall mean the out-of-pocket expenses of a Registration, including, without limitation, the following:
(a) | all registration and filing fees (including fees with respect to filings required to be made with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc.) and any securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then listed; |
(b) | fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities); |
(c) | printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses; |
(d) | reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company; |
(e) | reasonable fees and disbursements of all independent registered public accountants of the Company incurred specifically in connection with such Registration; and |
(f) | reasonable fees and expenses of one (1) legal counsel selected by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration to be registered for offer and sale in the applicable Registration. |
4
Registration Statement shall mean any registration statement that covers the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement.
Requesting Holder shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
Securities Act shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.
Sponsor shall have the meaning given in the Preamble hereto.
Underwriter shall mean a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an Underwritten Offering and not as part of such dealers market-making activities.
Underwritten Registration or Underwritten Offering shall mean a Registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an Underwriter in a firm commitment underwriting for distribution to the public.
Working Capital Warrants shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
ARTICLE II.
REGISTRATIONS
2.1 Demand Registration.
2.1.1 Request for Registration. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, at any time and from time to time on or after the date the Company consummates the initial Business Combination, the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the then outstanding number of Registrable Securities (the Demanding Holders) may make a written demand for Registration of all or part of their Registrable Securities, which written demand shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof (such written demand a Demand Registration). The Company shall, within ten (10) days of the Companys receipt of the Demand Registration, notify, in writing, all other Holders of Registrable Securities of such demand, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holders Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration (each such Holder that includes all or a portion of such Holders Registrable Securities in such Registration, a Requesting Holder) shall so notify the Company, in writing, within five (5) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. Upon receipt by the Company of any such written notification from a Requesting Holder(s) to the Company, such Requesting Holder(s) shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Company shall effect, as soon thereafter as practicable, the Registration of all Registrable Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders pursuant to such Demand Registration, including by filing a Registration Statement relating thereto as soon as practicable, but not more than forty-five (45) days immediately after the Companys receipt of the Demand Registration. Under no circumstances shall the Company be obligated to effect more than an aggregate of three (3)
5
Registrations pursuant to a Demand Registration under this subsection 2.1.1 with respect to any or all Registrable Securities; provided, however, that a Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a Form S-1 or any similar long-form registration statement that may be available at such time (Form S-1) has become effective and all of the Registrable Securities requested by the Requesting Holders to be registered on behalf of the Requesting Holders in such Form S-1 Registration have been sold, in accordance with Section 3.1 of this Agreement.
2.1.2 Effective Registration. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.1.1 above or any other part of this Agreement, a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not count as a Registration unless and until (i) the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration has been declared effective by the Commission and (ii) the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided, further, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, an offering of Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration is subsequently interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission, federal or state court or any other governmental agency, the Registration Statement with respect to such Registration shall be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating such Demand Registration thereafter affirmatively elect to continue with such Registration and accordingly notify the Company in writing, but in no event later than five (5) days, of such election; provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated or required to file another Registration Statement until the Registration Statement that has been previously filed with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration becomes effective or is subsequently terminated.
2.1.3 Underwritten Offering. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, if a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so advise the Company as part of their Demand Registration that the offering of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an Underwritten Offering, then the right of such Demanding Holder or Requesting Holder (if any) to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holders participation in such Underwritten Offering and the inclusion of such Holders Registrable Securities in such Underwritten Offering to the extent provided herein. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.1.3 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating the Demand Registration.
2.1.4 Reduction of Underwritten Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration, in good faith, advises the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) in writing that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) desire to sell, taken together with all other Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell and the Common Stock, if any, as to which a Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by any other stockholders who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of equity securities that can be sold in the Underwritten Offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the
6
probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of such securities, as applicable, the Maximum Number of Securities), then the Company shall include in such Underwritten Offering, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) (pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Demanding Holder and Requesting Holder (if any) has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders have requested be included in such Underwritten Registration) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Registrable Securities of Holders (pro rata, based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has so requested) exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 hereof, without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iv) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), the Common Stock or other equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.
2.1.5 Demand Registration Withdrawal. A majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration or a majority-in-interest of the Requesting Holders (if any), pursuant to a Registration under subsection 2.1.1 shall have the right to withdraw from a Registration pursuant to such Demand Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of their intention to withdraw from such Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Registration of their Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, (i) the Company may effect any Underwritten Registration pursuant to any then effective Registration Statement, including a Form S-3, that is then available for such offering and (ii) the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.1.5.
2.2 Piggyback Registration.
2.2.1 Piggyback Rights. If, at any time on or after the date the Company consummates the initial Business Combination, the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into equity securities, for its own account or for the account of stockholders of the Company (or by the Company and by the stockholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.1 hereof), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee stock option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Companys existing stockholders, (iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but not less than ten (10) days before the
7
anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which notice shall (A) describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, in such offering, and (B) offer to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities the opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as such Holders may request in writing within five (5) days after receipt of such written notice (such Registration a Piggyback Registration). The Company shall, in good faith, cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such Piggyback Registration and shall use its best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed Underwritten Offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested by the Holders pursuant to this subsection 2.2.1 to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company included in such Registration and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.2.1 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the Company.
2.2.2 Reduction of Piggyback Registration. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration that is to be a Piggyback Registration, in good faith, advises the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities participating in the Piggyback Registration in writing that the dollar amount or number of the Common Stock that the Company desires to sell, taken together with (i) the Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities hereunder (ii) the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof, and (iii) the Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other stockholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then:
(a) If the Registration is undertaken for the Companys account, the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 hereof, pro rata, based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has so requested, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other stockholders of the Company, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities;
8
(b) If the Registration is pursuant to a request by persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, then the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, the Common Stock or other equity securities, if any, of such requesting persons or entities, other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1, pro rata, based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of Registrable Securities that the Holders have requested to be included in such Underwritten Registration, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), the Common Stock or other equity securities for the account of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with such persons or entities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.
2.2.3 Piggyback Registration Withdrawal. Any Holder of Registrable Securities shall have the right to withdraw from a Piggyback Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of his, her or its intention to withdraw from such Piggyback Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Piggyback Registration (or in the case of an Underwritten Registration pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, at least two business days prior to the time of pricing of the applicable offering). The Company (whether on its own good faith determination or as the result of a request for withdrawal by persons pursuant to separate written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Piggyback Registration at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with the Piggyback Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.2.3.
2.2.4 Unlimited Piggyback Registration Rights. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.1 hereof.
2.3 Registrations on Form S-3. The Holders of Registrable Securities may at any time, and from time to time, request in writing that the Company, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission), register the resale of any or all of their Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration statement that may be available at such time (Form S-3); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect such request through an Underwritten Offering. Within five (5) days of the Companys receipt of a written request from a Holder or Holders of Registrable Securities for a Registration on Form S-3, the Company shall promptly give written notice of the proposed Registration on Form S-3 to all other Holders of Registrable Securities, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such Holders Registrable Securities in such Registration on Form S-3 shall so notify the Company, in writing, within ten (10) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. As
9
soon as practicable thereafter, but not more than twelve (12) days after the Companys initial receipt of such written request for a Registration on Form S-3, the Company shall file a Registration Statement relating to all or such portion of such Holders Registrable Securities as are specified in such written request, together with all or such portion of Registrable Securities of any other Holder or Holders joining in such request as are specified in the written notification given by such Holder or Holders; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect any such Registration pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof if (i) a Form S-3 is not available for such offering; or (ii) the Holders of Registrable Securities, together with the Holders of any other equity securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such Registration, propose to sell the Registrable Securities and such other equity securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $5,000,000.
2.4 Restrictions on Registration Rights. If (A) during the period starting with the date sixty (60) days prior to the Companys good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date one hundred and twenty (120) days after the effective date of, a Company initiated Registration and provided that the Company has delivered written notice to the Holders prior to receipt of a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection 2.1.1 and it continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable efforts to cause the applicable Registration Statement to become effective; (B) the Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration and the Company and the Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (C) in the good faith judgment of the Board such Registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result that it is essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement at such time, then in each case the Company shall furnish to such Holders a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board (or, if applicable, any Co-Chairman of the Board), the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the President or the Secretary of the Company stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would be seriously detrimental to the Company for such Registration Statement to be filed in the near future and that it is therefore essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement. In such event, the Company shall have the right to defer such filing for a period of not more than thirty (30) days; provided, however, that the Company shall not defer its obligation in this manner more than once in any 12-month period.
ARTICLE III.
COMPANY PROCEDURES
3.1 General Procedures. If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates the initial Business Combination, the Company is required to effect the Registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall use its best efforts to effect such Registration to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto the Company shall, as expeditiously as possible:
3.1.1 prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold;
10
3.1.2 prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such supplements to the Prospectus, as may be reasonably requested by the majority-in-interest of the Holders with Registrable Securities registered on such Registration Statement or any Underwriter of Registrable Securities or as may be required by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration Statement are sold in accordance with the intended plan of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus;
3.1.3 prior to filing a Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the Underwriters, if any, and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration, and such Holders legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus), and such other documents as the Underwriters and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration or the legal counsel for any such Holders may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holders;
3.1.4 prior to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use its best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify or take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it is not then otherwise so subject;
3.1.5 cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed;
3.1.6 provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of such Registration Statement;
3.1.7 advise each seller of such Registrable Securities, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of the issuance of any stop order by the Commission suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and promptly use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order or to obtain its withdrawal if such stop order should be issued;
11
3.1.8 at least five (5) days prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or Prospectus, furnish a copy thereof to each seller of such Registrable Securities or its counsel;
3.1.9 notify the Holders at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement, as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, and then to correct such Misstatement as set forth in Section 3.4 hereof;
3.1.10 permit a representative of the Holders, the Underwriters, if any, and any attorney or accountant retained by such Holders or Underwriter to participate, at each such persons own expense, in the preparation of the Registration Statement, and cause the Companys officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any such representative, Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with the Registration; provided, however, that such representatives or Underwriters enter into a confidentiality agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, prior to the release or disclosure of any such information;
3.1.11 obtain a cold comfort letter from the Companys independent registered public accountants in the event of an Underwritten Registration, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by cold comfort letters as the managing Underwriter may reasonably request, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority-in-interest of the participating Holders;
3.1.12 on the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration, obtain an opinion, dated such date, of counsel representing the Company for the purposes of such Registration, addressed to the Holders, the placement agent or sales agent, if any, and the Underwriters, if any, covering such legal matters with respect to the Registration in respect of which such opinion is being given as the Holders, placement agent, sales agent, or Underwriter may reasonably request and as are customarily included in such opinions and negative assurance letters, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority in interest of the participating Holders;
3.1.13 in the event of any Underwritten Offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual and customary form, with the managing Underwriter of such offering;
3.1.14 make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Companys first full calendar quarter after the effective date of the Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission);
3.1.15 if the Registration involves the Registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $25,000,000, use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary road show presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering; and
3.1.16 otherwise, in good faith, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the Holders, in connection with such Registration.
12
3.2 Registration Expenses. The Registration Expenses of all Registrations shall be borne by the Company. It is acknowledged by the Holders that the Holders shall bear all incremental selling expenses relating to the sale of Registrable Securities, such as Underwriters commissions and discounts, brokerage fees, Underwriter marketing costs and, other than as set forth in the definition of Registration Expenses, all reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel representing the Holders.
3.3 Requirements for Participation in Underwritten Offerings. No person may participate in any Underwritten Offering for equity securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration initiated by the Company hereunder unless such person (i) agrees to sell such persons securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Company and (ii) completes and executes all customary questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, lock-up agreements, underwriting agreements and other customary documents as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements.
3.4 Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement or Prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice), or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Companys control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than thirty (30) days, determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.4.
3.5 Reporting Obligations. As long as any Holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it shall be a reporting company under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the Holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Holder to sell shares of the Common Stock held by such Holder without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission), including providing any legal opinions. Upon the request of any Holder, the Company shall deliver to such Holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements.
13
ARTICLE IV.
INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
4.1 Indemnification.
4.1.1 The Company agrees to indemnify, to the extent permitted by law, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers and directors and agents and each person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys fees) resulting from any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein. The Company shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers and directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to the indemnification of the Holder.
4.1.2 In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, such Holder shall furnish to the Company in writing such information and affidavits as the Company reasonably requests for use in connection with any such Registration Statement or Prospectus and, to the extent permitted by law, shall indemnify the Company, its directors and officers and agents and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including, without limitation reasonable attorneys fees) resulting from any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing by such Holder expressly for use therein; provided, however, that the obligation to indemnify shall be several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Holders of Registrable Securities shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers, directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with respect to indemnification of the Company.
4.1.3 Any person entitled to indemnification herein shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any persons right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not materially prejudiced the indemnifying party) and (ii) unless in such indemnified partys reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall not be subject to
14
any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one counsel for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. No indemnifying party shall, without the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the indemnifying party pursuant to the terms of such settlement) or which settlement does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation.
4.1.4 The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director or controlling person of such indemnified party and shall survive the transfer of securities. The Company and each Holder of Registrable Securities participating in an offering also agrees to make such provisions as are reasonably requested by any indemnified party for contribution to such party in the event the Companys or such Holders indemnification is unavailable for any reason.
4.1.5 If the indemnification provided under Section 4.1 hereof from the indemnifying party is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to herein, then the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying the indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact, was made by, or relates to information supplied by, such indemnifying party or indemnified party, and the indemnifying partys and indemnified partys relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such action; provided, however, that the liability of any Holder under this subsection 4.1.5 shall be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth in subsections 4.1.1, 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 above, any legal or other fees, charges or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this subsection 4.1.5. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
15
ARTICLE V.
MISCELLANEOUS
5.1 Notices. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (i) deposit in the United States mail, addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (ii) delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (iii) transmission by hand delivery, electronic mail or facsimile. Each notice or communication that is mailed, delivered, or transmitted in the manner described above shall be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of mailed notices, on the third business day following the date on which it is mailed and, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, electronic mail or facsimile, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery receipt or the affidavit of messenger) or at such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be addressed to the Company, 1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor, Burlingame, CA 94010, and, if to any Holder, at such Holders address or facsimile number as found in the Companys books and records. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective thirty (30) days after delivery of such notice as provided in this Section 5.1.
5.2 Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries.
5.2.1 This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part.
5.2.2 Prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period or the Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, no Holder may assign or delegate such Holders rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part, except in connection with a transfer of Registrable Securities by such Holder to a Permitted Transferee but only if such Permitted Transferee agrees to become bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement or any other applicable letter agreements between the Company and such Holder.
5.2.3 This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and its successors and the permitted assigns of the Holders, which shall include Permitted Transferees.
5.2.4 This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly set forth in this Agreement and Section 5.2 hereof.
5.2.5 No assignment by any party hereto of such partys rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon or obligate the Company unless and until the Company shall have received (i) written notice of such assignment as provided in Section 5.1 hereof and (ii) the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement). Any transfer or assignment made other than as provided in this Section 5.2 shall be null and void.
16
5.3 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible that is valid and enforceable.
5.4 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts), each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which need be produced.
5.5 Governing Law; Venue. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT (I) THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, SECTIONS 5-1401 AND 5-1402 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW AND NEW YORK CIVIL PRACTICE LAWS AND RULES 327(B), AS APPLIED TO AGREEMENTS AMONG NEW YORK RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN NEW YORK AND (II) THE VENUE FOR ANY ACTION TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE ANY STATE OR FEDERAL COURT IN NEW YORK COUNTY IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
5.6 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including all agreements entered into pursuant hereto and all certificates and instruments delivered pursuant hereto and thereto) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, understandings, negotiations and discussions between the parties, whether oral or written.
5.7 Amendments and Modifications. Upon the written consent of the Company and the Holders of at least a majority in interest of the Registrable Securities at the time in question, compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth in this Agreement may be waived, or any of such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or modified; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one Holder, solely in its capacity as a holder of the shares of capital stock of the Company, in a manner that is materially different from the other Holders (in such capacity) shall require the consent of the Holder so affected. No course of dealing between any Holder or the Company and any other party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of a Holder or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any Holder or the Company. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by such party.
5.8 Titles and Headings. Titles and headings of sections of this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of any provision of this Agreement.
17
5.9 Waivers and Extensions. Any party to this Agreement may waive any right, breach or default which such party has the right to waive, provided that such waiver will not be effective against the waiving party unless it is in writing, is signed by such party, and specifically refers to this Agreement. Waivers may be made in advance or after the right waived has arisen or the breach or default waived has occurred. Any waiver may be conditional. No waiver of any breach of any agreement or provision herein contained shall be deemed a waiver of any preceding or succeeding breach thereof nor of any other agreement or provision herein contained. No waiver or extension of time for performance of any obligations or acts shall be deemed a waiver or extension of the time for performance of any other obligations or acts.
5.10 Remedies Cumulative. In the event that the Company fails to observe or perform any covenant or agreement to be observed or performed under this Agreement, the Holders may proceed to protect and enforce its rights by suit in equity or action at law, whether for specific performance of any term contained in this Agreement or for an injunction against the breach of any such term or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Agreement or to enforce any other legal or equitable right, or to take any one or more of such actions, without being required to post a bond. None of the rights, powers or remedies conferred under this Agreement shall be mutually exclusive, and each such right, power or remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to any other right, power or remedy, whether conferred by this Agreement or now or hereafter available at law, in equity, by statute or otherwise.
5.11 Term. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of (i) the tenth anniversary of the date of this Agreement or (ii) the date as of which (A) all of the Registrable Securities have been sold pursuant to a Registration Statement (but in no event prior to the applicable period referred to in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Rule 174 thereunder) or (B) the Holders of all Registrable Securities are permitted to sell the Registrable Securities without registration pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (but with no volume or other restrictions or limitations). The provisions of Section 3.5 and Article IV shall survive any termination.
[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]
18
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.
COMPANY: | ||
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I a Delaware corporation | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
HOLDERS: | ||
D SQUARED SPONSOR LLC, a Delaware limited liability company | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
Exhibit 10.5
FORM OF PRIVATE PLACEMENT WARRANTS PURCHASE AGREEMENT
THIS PRIVATE PLACEMENT WARRANTS PURCHASE AGREEMENT (as it may from time to time be amended and including all exhibits referenced herein, this Agreement), dated as of , 2022, is entered into by and between Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and D Squared Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Purchaser).
WHEREAS, the Company intends to consummate an initial public offering of the Companys units (the Public Offering), each unit consisting of one share of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (a Share), and one-third of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Share, as set forth in the Companys Registration Statement on Form S-1, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), File Number 333-255320 (the Registration Statement), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act); and
WHEREAS, the Purchaser has agreed to purchase, at a price of $1.50 per warrant, an aggregate of 3,933,333 warrants (and up to 4,233,333 additional warrants if the underwriters in the Public Offering exercise their over-allotment option in full) (the Private Placement Warrants), each Private Placement Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Share.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties to this Agreement hereby, intending legally to be bound, agree as follows:
AGREEMENT
Section 1. Authorization, Purchase and Sale; Terms of the Private Placement Warrants.
A. Authorization of the Private Placement Warrants. The Company has duly authorized the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Warrants to the Purchaser.
B. Purchase and Sale of the Private Placement Warrants.
(i) On the date of the consummation of the Public Offering or on such earlier time and date as may be mutually agreed by the Purchaser and the Company (the IPO Closing Date), the Company shall issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser shall purchase from the Company, 3,933,333 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $5,900,000 (the Purchase Price). The Purchaser shall pay, at least one (1) business day prior to the IPO Closing Date, the Purchase Price by wire transfer of immediately available funds, consisting of (i) $4,150,000 to the trust account, at a financial institution to be chosen by the Company, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee, in accordance with the Companys wiring instructions (the Trust Account), and (ii) $1,750,000 to, or on behalf of, the Company in accordance with the Companys wiring instructions. On
the IPO Closing Date, subject to receipt of funds pursuant to the immediately prior sentence, the Company, at its option, shall deliver a certificate evidencing the Private Placement Warrants purchased on such date duly registered in the Purchasers name to the Purchaser or effect such delivery in book-entry form.
(ii) On the date of the consummation of the closing of any over-allotment option, in connection with the Public Offering or on such earlier time and date as may be mutually agreed by the Purchaser and the Company (an Over-allotment Closing Date, and each Over-allotment Closing Date (if any) and the IPO Closing Date, a Closing Date), the Company shall issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser shall purchase from the Company, up to 300,000 Private Placement Warrants (or, to the extent the over-allotment option is not exercised in full, a lesser number of Private Placement Warrants in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that is then exercised) at a price of $1.50 per warrant for an aggregate purchase price of up to $450,000 (if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the Over-allotment Purchase Price). The Purchaser shall pay the Over-allotment Purchase Price in accordance with the Companys wire instruction by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the Company or the Trust Account (as set forth in the wire instructions), at least one (1) business day prior to the Over-allotment Closing Date. On each Over-allotment Closing Date, subject to receipt of funds pursuant to the immediately prior sentence, the Company shall, at its option, deliver a certificate evidencing the Private Placement Warrants purchased on such Closing Date duly registered in the Purchasers name to the Purchaser or effect such delivery in book-entry form.
C. Terms of the Private Placement Warrants.
(i) Each Private Placement Warrant shall have the terms set forth in a Warrant Agreement to be entered into by the Company and a warrant agent in connection with the Public Offering (the Warrant Agreement).
(ii) On or prior to the IPO Closing Date, the Company and the Purchaser shall enter into a registration rights agreement (the Registration Rights Agreement) pursuant to which the Company will grant certain registration rights to the Purchaser relating to the Private Placement Warrants and the Shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants.
Section 2. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
As a material inducement to the Purchaser to enter into this Agreement and purchase the Private Placement Warrants, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Purchaser (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that:
A. Incorporation and Corporate Power. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Company. The Company possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Warrant Agreement.
2
B. Authorization; No Breach.
(i) The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized by the Company as of each Closing Date. This Agreement constitutes the valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law). Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms of the Warrant Agreement and this Agreement, the Private Placement Warrants will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms as of the applicable Closing Date.
(ii) The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the Private Placement Warrants, the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Warrants, the issuance of the Shares upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and the fulfillment of and compliance with the respective terms hereof and thereof by the Company, do not and will not as of each Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the Companys capital stock or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the Company (in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to the applicable Closing Date) or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.
C. Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and the Warrant Agreement, the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. On the date of issuance of the Private Placement Warrants, the shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants shall have been reserved for issuance. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and the Warrant Agreement, the Purchaser will have good title to the Private Placement Warrants purchased by it and the Shares issuable upon exercise of such Private Placement Warrants, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (i) transfer restrictions hereunder and under the other agreements contemplated hereby, (ii) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws, and (iii) liens, claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Purchaser.
D. Governmental Consents. No permit, consent, approval or authorization of, or declaration to or filing with, any governmental authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation by the Company of any other transactions contemplated hereby, except for applicable requirements of the Securities Act.
3
Section 3. Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser.
As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement and issue and sell the Private Placement Warrants to the Purchaser, the Purchaser hereby represents and warrants to the Company (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that:
A. Organization and Requisite Authority. The Purchaser possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
B. Authorization; No Breach.
(i) This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Purchaser, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law).
(ii) The execution and delivery by the Purchaser of this Agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof by the Purchaser does not and shall not as of each Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach by the Purchaser of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the Purchasers equity or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the Purchasers organizational documents (in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to the applicable Closing Date), or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Purchaser is subject, or any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the Purchaser is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.
C. Investment Representations.
(i) The Purchaser is acquiring the Private Placement Warrants and, upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, the Shares issuable upon such exercise (collectively, the Securities) for its own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof.
(ii) The Purchaser understands that the Securities are being offered and will be sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the Purchasers compliance with, the representations and warranties of the Purchaser set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Purchaser to acquire such Securities.
(iii) The Purchaser did not decide to enter into this Agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) under the Securities Act.
4
(iv) The Purchaser understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities by the Purchaser nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.
(v) The Purchaser understands that: (a) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (i) subsequently registered thereunder or (ii) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; (b) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder; and (c) Rule 144 adopted pursuant to the Securities Act will not be available for resale transactions of Securities prior to a Business Combination and may not be available for resale transactions of Securities after a Business Combination.
(vi) The Purchaser has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knowledge of the high degree of risk associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The Purchaser has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Securities. The Purchaser can afford a complete loss of its investments in the Securities.
(vii) The Purchaser acknowledges and agrees that the Private Placement Warrants will bear a legend substantially in the form set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
(viii) The Purchaser is an accredited investor as such term is defined in Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D under the Securities Act and the Purchaser has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act.
Section 4. Conditions of the Purchasers Obligations.
The obligations of the Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Private Placement Warrants are subject to the fulfillment, on or before each Closing Date, of each of the following conditions:
A. Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 2 shall be true and correct at and as of such Closing Date as though then made.
B. Performance. The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by it on or before such Closing Date.
5
C. No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Warrant Agreement.
D. Warrant Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement on terms satisfactory to the Purchaser.
Section 5. Conditions of the Companys Obligations.
The obligations of the Company to the Purchaser under this Agreement are subject to the fulfillment, on or before each Closing Date, of each of the following conditions:
A. Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained in Section 3 shall be true and correct at and as of such Closing Date as though then made.
B. Performance. The Purchaser shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by the Purchaser on or before such Closing Date.
C. Corporate Consents. The Company shall have obtained the consent of its Board of Directors authorizing the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Warrant Agreement and the issuance and sale of the Private Placement Warrants hereunder.
D. No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Warrant Agreement.
E. Warrant Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Warrant Agreement.
Section 6. Definitions.
Terms used but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to such terms in the Registration Statement.
Section 7. Miscellaneous.
A. Successors and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not assign this Agreement, other than assignments by the Purchaser to affiliates thereof (including, without limitation one or more of its members).
6
B. Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this Agreement.
C. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Signatures to this Agreement transmitted via facsimile or e-mail shall be valid and effective to bind the party so signing.
D. Descriptive Headings; Interpretation. The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a substantive part of this Agreement. The use of the word including in this Agreement shall be by way of example rather than by limitation.
E. Governing Law. This Agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the laws of another jurisdiction.
F. Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by the parties hereto.
[Signature page follows]
7
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement.
COMPANY: |
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
PURCHASER: | ||
D SQUARED SPONSOR LLC |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Private Placement Warrants Agreement]
Exhibit 10.6
FORM OF INDEMNITY AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNITY AGREEMENT (this Agreement) is made as of __________________, 2022, by and between Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and __________________ (Indemnitee).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly-held corporations as directors, officers or in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance or adequate indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of such corporations;
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the Board) has determined that, in order to attract and retain qualified individuals, the Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing basis, at its sole expense, liability insurance to protect persons serving the Company and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities. Although the furnishing of such insurance has been a customary and widespread practice among United States-based corporations and other business enterprises, the Company believes that, given current market conditions and trends, such insurance may be available to it in the future only at higher premiums and with more exclusions. At the same time, directors, officers and other persons in service to corporations or business enterprises are being increasingly subjected to expensive and time-consuming litigation relating to, among other things, matters that traditionally would have been brought only against the Company or business enterprise itself. The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the Charter) and the Bylaws (the Bylaws) of the Company require indemnification of the officers and directors of the Company. Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL). The Charter, the Bylaws and the DGCL expressly provide that the indemnification provisions set forth therein are not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the Board, officers and other persons with respect to indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement and reimbursement rights;
WHEREAS, the uncertainties relating to such insurance and to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons;
WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Companys stockholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection in the future;
WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so protected against liabilities;
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Charter and the Bylaws of the Company and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee may not be willing to serve as an officer or director, advisor or in another capacity without adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to serve in such capacity. Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company on the condition that he or she be so indemnified; and
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein and subject to the provisions of the letter agreement dated as of __________________, 2021, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. SERVICES TO THE COMPANY. In consideration of the Companys covenants and obligations hereunder, Indemnitee will serve or continue to serve as an officer, director, advisor, key employee or in any other capacity of the Company, as applicable, for so long as Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or retained or until Indemnitee tenders his or her resignation or until Indemnitee is removed. The foregoing notwithstanding, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a director, officer, advisor, key employee or in any other capacity of the Company, as provided in Section 17. This Agreement, however, shall not impose any obligation on Indemnitee or the Company to continue Indemnitees service to the Company beyond any period otherwise required by law or by other agreements or commitments of the parties, if any.
2. DEFINITIONS. As used in this Agreement:
(a) References to agent shall mean any person who is or was a director, officer or employee of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company or other person authorized by the Company to act for the Company, to include such person serving in such capacity as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other enterprise at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company.
(b) The terms Beneficial Owner and Beneficial Ownership shall have the meanings set forth in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below) as in effect on the date hereof.
(c) A Change in Control shall be deemed to occur upon the earliest to occur after the date of this Agreement of any of the following events:
(i) Acquisition of Stock by Third Party. Other than an affiliate of D Squared Sponsor LLC, DBO Acquisition LLC, DBO Partners LLC, or DBO Partners Holding LLC, any Person (as defined below) is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing fifteen percent (15%) or more of the combined voting power of the Companys then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, unless (A) the change in the relative Beneficial Ownership of the Companys securities by any Person results solely from a reduction in the aggregate number of outstanding shares of securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, or (B) such acquisition was approved in advance by the Continuing Directors (as defined below) and such acquisition would not constitute a Change in Control under part (iii) of this definition;
2
(ii) Change in Board of Directors. Individuals who, as of the date hereof, constitute the Board, and any new director whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Companys stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then still in office who were directors on the date hereof or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved (collectively, the Continuing Directors), cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the members of the Board;
(iii) Corporate Transactions. The effective date of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a Business Combination), in each case, unless, following such Business Combination: (A) all or substantially all of the individuals and entities who were the Beneficial Owners of securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors immediately prior to such Business Combination beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 51% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors resulting from such Business Combination (including, without limitation, a corporation which as a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Companys assets either directly or through one or more Subsidiaries (as defined below)) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership immediately prior to such Business Combination, of the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; (B) other than an affiliate of D Squared Sponsor LLC, DBO Acquisition LLC, DBO Partners LLC, or DBO Partners Holding LLC, no Person (excluding any corporation resulting from such Business Combination) is the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of 15% or more of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the surviving corporation except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to the Business Combination; and (C) at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the corporation resulting from such Business Combination were Continuing Directors at the time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board of Directors, providing for such Business Combination;
(iv) Liquidation. The approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement or series of agreements for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Companys assets, other than factoring the Companys current receivables or escrows due (or, if such stockholder approval is not required, the decision by the Board to proceed with such a liquidation, sale, or disposition in one transaction or a series of related transactions); or
(v) Other Events. There occurs any other event of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or any successor rule) (or a response to any similar item on any similar schedule or form) promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below), whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement.
(d) Corporate Status describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of the Company or of any other Enterprise (as defined below) which such person is or was serving at the request of the Company.
3
(e) Delaware Court shall mean the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware.
(f) Disinterested Director shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding (as defined below) in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.
(g) Enterprise shall mean the Company and any other corporation, constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger to which the Company (or any of its wholly owned subsidiaries) is a party, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent.
(h) Exchange Act shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(i) Expenses shall include all direct and indirect costs, fees and expenses of any type or nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, all reasonable attorneys fees and costs, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, fees of private investigators and professional advisors, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, fax transmission charges, secretarial services and all other disbursements, obligations or expenses in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, settlement or appeal of, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding (as defined below), including reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which he or she is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party. Expenses also shall include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding (as defined below), including without limitation the principal, premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedes bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.
(j) References to fines shall include any excise tax assessed on Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to serving at the request of the Company shall include any service as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in a manner not opposed to the best interests of the Company as referred to in this Agreement.
(k) Independent Counsel shall mean a law firm or a member of a law firm with significant experience in matters of corporate law and that neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements); or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding (as defined below) giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term Independent Counsel shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitees rights under this Agreement.
4
(l) The term Person shall have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act as in effect on the date hereof; provided, however, that Person shall exclude: (i) the Company; (ii) any Subsidiaries (as defined below) of the Company; (iii) any employment benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below) of the Company or of any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company; and (iv) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below) of the Company or of a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company.
(m) The term Proceeding shall include any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, mediation, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil (including intentional or unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative or investigative or related nature, in which Indemnitee was, is, will or might be involved as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, by reason of any action (or failure to act) taken by him or her or of any action (or failure to act) on his or her part while acting as a director or officer of the Company, or by reason of the fact that he or she is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be provided under this Agreement.
(n) The term Subsidiary, with respect to any Person, shall mean any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by that Person.
3. INDEMNITY IN THIRD-PARTY PROCEEDINGS. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise) in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of Indemnitees Corporate Status. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually, and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his or her behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful; provided, in no event shall Indemnitee be entitled to be indemnified,
5
held harmless or advanced any amounts hereunder in respect of any Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (if any) that Indemnitee may incur by reason of his or her own actual fraud or intentional misconduct. Indemnitee shall not be found to have committed actual fraud or intentional misconduct for any purpose of this Agreement unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction shall have made a finding to that effect.
4. INDEMNITY IN PROCEEDINGS BY OR IN THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise) in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of Indemnitees Corporate Status. Pursuant to this Section 4, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. No indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration for Expenses shall be made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that any court in which the Proceeding was brought or the Delaware Court shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, to be held harmless or to exoneration.
5. INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES OF A PARTY WHO IS WHOLLY OR PARTLY SUCCESSFUL. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement except for Section 27, to the extent that Indemnitee was or is, by reason of Indemnitees Corporate Status, a party to (or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding, the Company also shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with a claim, issue or matter related to any claim, issue, or matter on which Indemnitee was successful. For purposes of this Section and without limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as to such claim, issue or matter.
6. INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES OF A WITNESS. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement except for Section 27, to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of his or her Corporate Status, a witness or deponent in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee was or is not a party or threatened to be made a party, he or she shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection therewith.
6
7. ADDITIONAL INDEMNIFICATION, HOLD HARMLESS AND EXONERATION RIGHTS.
(a) Notwithstanding any limitation in Sections 3, 4, or 5, except for Section 27, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the Proceeding. No indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights shall be available under this Section 7(a) on account of Indemnitees conduct which constitutes a breach of Indemnitees duty of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders or is an act or omission not in good faith or which involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law.
(b) Notwithstanding any limitation in Sections 3, 4, 5 or 7(a), subject to Section 27, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the Proceeding.
8. CONTRIBUTION IN THE EVENT OF JOINT LIABILITY.
(a) To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification, hold harmless and/or exoneration rights provided for in this Agreement are unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying, holding harmless or exonerating Indemnitee, shall pay, in the first instance, the entire amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with any Proceeding without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment, and the Company hereby waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it may have at any time against Indemnitee.
(b) The Company shall not enter into any settlement of any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding) unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee.
(c) The Company hereby agrees to fully indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee from any claims for contribution which may be brought by officers, directors or employees of the Company other than Indemnitee who may be jointly liable with Indemnitee.
7
9. EXCLUSIONS. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement, the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement to make any indemnification, advance expenses, hold harmless or exoneration payment in connection with any claim made against Indemnitee:
(a) for which payment has actually been received by or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy or other indemnity or advancement provision, except with respect to any excess beyond the amount actually received under any insurance policy, contract, agreement, other indemnity or advancement provision or otherwise;
(b) for an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (or any successor rule) or similar provisions of state statutory law or common law; or
(c) except as otherwise provided in Sections 14(f) and (g) hereof, prior to a Change in Control, in connection with any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees, unless (i) the Board authorized the Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) prior to its initiation or (ii) the Company provides the indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payment, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under applicable law.
10. ADVANCES OF EXPENSES; DEFENSE OF CLAIM.
(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary except for Section 27, and to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law, the Company shall pay the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee (or reasonably expected by Indemnitee to be incurred by Indemnitee within three months) in connection with any Proceeding within ten (10) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements requesting such advances from time to time, prior to the final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be made without regard to Indemnitees ability to repay the Expenses and without regard to Indemnitees ultimate entitlement to be indemnified, held harmless or exonerated under the other provisions of this Agreement. Advances shall include any and all reasonable Expenses incurred pursuing a Proceeding to enforce this right of advancement, including Expenses incurred preparing and forwarding statements to the Company to support the advances claimed. To the fullest extent required by applicable law, such payments of Expenses in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding shall be made only upon the Companys receipt of an undertaking, by or on behalf of Indemnitee, to repay the advanced amounts to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company under the provisions of this Agreement, the Charter, the Bylaws of the Company, applicable law or otherwise. If it shall be determined by a final judgment or other final adjudication that Indemnitee was not so entitled to indemnification, any advancement shall be returned to the Company (without interest) by the Indemnitee. This Section 10(a) shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which an indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payment is excluded pursuant to Section 9 but shall apply to any Proceeding referenced in Section 9(b) prior to a final determination that Indemnitee is liable therefor.
8
(b) The Company will be entitled to participate in the Proceeding at its own expense.
(c) The Company shall not settle any action, claim or Proceeding (in whole or in part) which would impose any Expense, judgment, fine, penalty or limitation on Indemnitee without Indemnitees prior written consent.
11. PROCEDURE FOR NOTIFICATION AND APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) Indemnitee agrees to notify promptly the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding, claim, issue or matter therein which may be subject to indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights, or advancement of Expenses covered hereunder. The failure of Indemnitee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of any obligation which it may have to Indemnitee under this Agreement, or otherwise.
(b) Indemnitee may deliver to the Company a written application to indemnify, hold harmless or exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with this Agreement. Such application(s) may be delivered from time to time and at such time(s) as Indemnitee deems appropriate in his or her sole discretion. Following such a written application for indemnification by Indemnitee, Indemnitees entitlement to indemnification shall be determined according to Section 12(a) of this Agreement.
12. PROCEDURE UPON APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) A determination, if required by applicable law, with respect to Indemnitees entitlement to indemnification shall be made in the specific case by one of the following methods, which shall be at the election of Indemnitee: (i) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum of the Board, (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors (even if less than a quorum), (iii) if there are no Disinterested Directors or if such directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee, or (iv) by vote of the stockholders. The Company promptly will advise Indemnitee in writing with respect to any determination that Indemnitee is or is not entitled to indemnification, including a description of any reason or basis for which indemnification has been denied. If it is so determined that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee shall be made within ten (10) days after such determination. Indemnitee shall reasonably cooperate with the person, persons or entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitees entitlement to indemnification, including providing to such person, persons or entity upon reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. Any costs or Expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person, persons or entity making such determination shall be borne by the Company (irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitees entitlement to indemnification) and the Company hereby agrees to indemnify and to hold Indemnitee harmless therefrom.
9
(b) In the event the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 12(a) hereof, the Independent Counsel shall be selected as provided in this Section 12(b). The Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee (unless Indemnitee shall request that such selection be made by the Board), and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected and certifying that the Independent Counsel so selected meets the requirements of Independent Counsel as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. If the Independent Counsel is selected by the Board, the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising him or her of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected and certifying that the Independent Counsel so selected meets the requirements of Independent Counsel as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. In either event, Indemnitee or the Company, as the case may be, may, within ten (10) days after such written notice of selection shall have been received, deliver to the Company or to Indemnitee, as the case may be, a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not meet the requirements of Independent Counsel as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement, and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is so made and substantiated, the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that such objection is without merit. If, within twenty (20) days after submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification pursuant to Section 11(b) hereof, no Independent Counsel shall have been selected and not objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Delaware Court for resolution of any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the others selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by the Delaware Court, and the person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel under Section 12(a) hereof. Upon the due commencement of any judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, Independent Counsel shall be discharged and relieved of any further responsibility in such capacity (subject to the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing).
(c) The Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of Independent Counsel and to fully indemnify and hold harmless such Independent Counsel against any and all Expenses, claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.
13. PRESUMPTIONS AND EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROCEEDINGS.
(a) In making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the person, persons or entity making such determination shall presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 11(b) of this Agreement, and the Company shall have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption in connection with the making by any person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that presumption. Neither the failure of the Company (including by the Disinterested Directors or Independent Counsel) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of any action pursuant to this Agreement that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, nor an actual determination by the Company (including by the Disinterested Directors or Independent Counsel) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct.
10
(b) If the person, persons or entity empowered or selected under Section 12 of this Agreement to determine whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall not have made a determination within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of the request therefor, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitees statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a final judicial determination that any or all such indemnification is expressly prohibited under applicable law; provided, however, that such 30-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional fifteen (15) days, if the person, persons or entity making the determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification in good faith requires such additional time for the obtaining or evaluating of documentation and/or information relating thereto.
(c) The termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not (except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.
(d) For purposes of any determination of good faith, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitees action is based on the records or books of account of the Enterprise, including financial statements, or on information supplied to Indemnitee by the directors, managers, or officers of the Enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member, or on information or records given or reports made to the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member, by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected by the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member. The provisions of this Section 13(d) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances in which Indemnitee may be deemed or found to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement.
(e) The knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, of any other director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, agent or employee of the Enterprise shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement.
11
14. REMEDIES OF INDEMNITEE.
(a) In the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to Section 12 of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) advancement of Expenses, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, is not timely made pursuant to Section 10 of this Agreement, (iii) no determination of entitlement to indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) payment of indemnification is not made pursuant to Section 5, 6, 7 or the last sentence of Section 12(a) of this Agreement within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor, (v) a contribution payment is not made in a timely manner pursuant to Section 8 of this Agreement, (vi) payment of indemnification pursuant to Section 3 or 4 of this Agreement is not made within ten (10) days after a determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, or (vii) payment to Indemnitee pursuant to any hold harmless or exoneration rights under this Agreement or otherwise is not made in accordance with this Agreement within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication by the Delaware Court to such indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution or advancement rights. Alternatively, Indemnitee, at his or her option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures of the American Arbitration Association. Except as set forth herein, the provisions of Delaware law (without regard to its conflict of laws rules) shall apply to any such arbitration. The Company shall not oppose Indemnitees right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration.
(b) In the event that a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 shall be conducted in all respects as a de novo trial, or arbitration, on the merits and Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of that adverse determination.
(c) In any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14, Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to be indemnified, held harmless, exonerated to receive advancement of Expenses under this Agreement and the Company shall have the burden of proving Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, held harmless, exonerated and to receive advancement of Expenses, as the case may be, and the Company may not refer to or introduce into evidence any determination pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement adverse to Indemnitee for any purpose. If Indemnitee commences a judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to this Section 14, Indemnitee shall not be required to reimburse the Company for any advances pursuant to Section 10 until a final determination is made with respect to Indemnitees entitlement to indemnification (as to which all rights of appeal have been exhausted or lapsed).
(d) If a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the Company shall be bound by such determination in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitees statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law.
(e) The Company shall be precluded from asserting in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 that the procedures and presumptions of this Agreement are not valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the Company is bound by all the provisions of this Agreement.
12
(f) The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by law against all Expenses and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall (within ten (10) days after the Companys receipt of such written request) pay to Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, such Expenses which are incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any judicial proceeding or arbitration brought by Indemnitee: (i) to enforce his or her rights under, or to recover damages for breach of, this Agreement or any other indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement or contribution agreement or provision of the Charter, or the Bylaws now or hereafter in effect; or (ii) for recovery or advances under any insurance policy maintained by any person for the benefit of Indemnitee, regardless of the outcome and whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration right, advancement, contribution or insurance recovery, as the case may be (unless such judicial proceeding or arbitration was not brought by Indemnitee in good faith).
(g) Interest shall be paid by the Company to Indemnitee at the legal rate under Delaware law for amounts which the Company indemnifies, holds harmless or exonerates, or advances, or is obliged to indemnify, hold harmless or exonerate or advance for the period commencing with the date on which Indemnitee requests indemnification, to be held harmless, exonerated, contribution, reimbursement or advancement of any Expenses and ending with the date on which such payment is made to Indemnitee by the Company.
15. SECURITY. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, except for Section 27, to the extent requested by Indemnitee and approved by the Board, the Company may at any time and from time to time provide security to Indemnitee for the Companys obligations hereunder through an irrevocable bank line of credit, funded trust or other collateral. Any such security, once provided to Indemnitee, may not be revoked or released without the prior written consent of Indemnitee.
16. NON-EXCLUSIVITY; SURVIVAL OF RIGHTS; INSURANCE; SUBROGATION.
(a) The rights of Indemnitee as provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which Indemnitee may at any time be entitled under applicable law, the Charter, the Bylaws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders or a resolution of directors, or otherwise. No amendment, alteration or repeal of this Agreement or of any provision hereof shall limit or restrict any right of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of any Proceeding (regardless of when such Proceeding is first threatened, commenced or completed) or claim, issue or matter therein arising out of, or related to, any action taken or omitted by such Indemnitee in his or her Corporate Status prior to such amendment, alteration or repeal. To the extent that a change in applicable law, whether by statute or judicial decision, permits greater indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights or advancement of Expenses than would be afforded currently under the Charter, the Bylaws or this Agreement, it is the intent of the parties hereto that Indemnitee shall enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits so afforded by such change. No right or remedy herein conferred is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every other right and remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other right or remedy.
13
(b) The DGCL, the Charter and the Bylaws permit the Company to purchase and maintain insurance or furnish similar protection or make other arrangements including, but not limited to, providing a trust fund, letter of credit, or surety bond (Indemnification Arrangements) on behalf of Indemnitee against any liability asserted against him or her or incurred by or on behalf of him or her or in such capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify him or her against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement or under the DGCL, as it may then be in effect. The purchase, establishment, and maintenance of any such Indemnification Arrangement shall not in any way limit or affect the rights and obligations of the Company or of Indemnitee under this Agreement except as expressly provided herein, and the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and Indemnitee shall not in any way limit or affect the rights and obligations of the Company or the other party or parties thereto under any such Indemnification Arrangement.
(c) To the extent that the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing liability insurance for directors, officers, trustees, partners, managers, managing members, fiduciaries, employees, or agents of the Company or of any other Enterprise which such person serves at the request of the Company, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any such director, officer, trustee, partner, managers, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent under such policy or policies. If, at the time the Company receives notice from any source of a Proceeding as to which Indemnitee is a party or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise), the Company has director and officer liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of such Proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such Proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policies.
(d) In the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights. No such payment by the Company shall be deemed to relieve any insurer of its obligations.
(e) The Companys obligation to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate or advance Expenses hereunder to Indemnitee who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise shall be reduced by any amount Indemnitee has actually received as indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payments or advancement of expenses from such Enterprise. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary except for Section 27, (i) Indemnitee shall have no obligation to reduce, offset, allocate, pursue or apportion any indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement, contribution or insurance coverage among multiple parties possessing such duties to Indemnitee prior to the Companys satisfaction and performance of all its obligations under this Agreement, and (ii) the Company shall perform fully its obligations under this Agreement without regard to whether Indemnitee holds, may pursue or has pursued any indemnification, advancement, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution or insurance coverage rights against any person or entity other than the Company.
14
(f) Notwithstanding anything contained herein, the Company is the primary indemnitor, and any indemnification or advancement obligation of D Squared Sponsor LLC, DBO Acquisition LLC or DBO Partners Holding LLC or their affiliates or any other Person is secondary.
17. DURATION OF AGREEMENT. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period Indemnitee serves as a director or officer of the Company or as a director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Enterprise which Indemnitee serves at the request of the Company and shall continue thereafter so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding (including any rights of appeal thereto and any Proceeding commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14 of this Agreement) by reason of his or her Corporate Status, whether or not he or she is acting in any such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification or advancement can be provided under this Agreement.
18. SEVERABILITY. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law; (b) such provision or provisions shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to conform to applicable law and to give the maximum effect to the intent of the parties hereto; and (c) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested thereby.
19. ENFORCEMENT AND BINDING EFFECT.
(a) The Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Agreement and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby in order to induce Indemnitee to serve as a director, officer or key employee of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in serving as a director, officer or key employee of the Company.
(b) Without limiting any of the rights of Indemnitee under the Charter or the Bylaws as they may be amended from time to time, this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral, written and implied, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.
15
(c) The indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration and advancement of expenses rights provided by or granted pursuant to this Agreement shall be binding upon and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company), shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise at the Companys request, and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and his or her spouse, assigns, heirs, devisees, executors and administrators and other legal representatives.
(d) The Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or indirect by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all, substantially all or a substantial part, of the business and/or assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.
(e) The Company and Indemnitee agree herein that a monetary remedy for breach of this Agreement, at some later date, may be inadequate, impracticable and difficult of proof, and further agree that such breach may cause Indemnitee irreparable harm. Accordingly, the parties hereto agree that Indemnitee may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, enforce this Agreement by seeking, among other things, injunctive relief and/or specific performance hereof, without any necessity of showing actual damage or irreparable harm and that by seeking injunctive relief and/or specific performance, Indemnitee shall not be precluded from seeking or obtaining any other relief to which he or she may be entitled. The Company and Indemnitee further agree that Indemnitee shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be entitled to such specific performance and injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions and permanent injunctions, without the necessity of posting bonds or other undertaking in connection therewith. The Company acknowledges that in the absence of a waiver, a bond or undertaking may be required of Indemnitee by a court of competent jurisdiction, and the Company hereby waives any such requirement of such a bond or undertaking to the fullest extent permitted by law.
20. MODIFICATION AND WAIVER. No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the Company and Indemnitee. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions of this Agreement nor shall any waiver constitute a continuing waiver.
21. NOTICES. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) if delivered by hand and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, on such delivery, or (ii) if mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third (3rd) business day after the date on which it is so mailed:
(a) If to Indemnitee, at the address indicated on the signature page of this Agreement, or such other address as Indemnitee shall provide in writing to the Company.
16
(b) If to the Company, to:
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor
Burlingame, CA 94010
Attention: Bryant Williams
With a copy, which shall not constitute notice, to
Latham & Watkins LLP
140 Scott Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Attention: Tad J. Freese
Latham & Watkins LLP
811 Main Street, Suite 3700
Houston, TX 77004
Attention: Ryan J. Maierson
or to any other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee in writing by the Company.
22. APPLICABLE LAW AND CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. This Agreement and the legal relations among the parties shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Except with respect to any arbitration commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally: (a) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Delaware Court and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country; (b) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement; (c) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court; and (d) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum, or is subject (in whole or in part) to a jury trial. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the parties hereby agree that the mailing of process and other papers in connection with any such action or proceeding in the manner provided by Section 21 or in such other manner as may be permitted by law, shall be valid and sufficient service thereof.
23. IDENTICAL COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Only one such counterpart signed by the party against whom enforceability is sought needs to be produced to evidence the existence of this Agreement.
24. MISCELLANEOUS. The headings of the paragraphs of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to affect the construction thereof.
17
25. PERIOD OF LIMITATIONS. No legal action shall be brought and no cause of action shall be asserted by or in the right of the Company against Indemnitee, Indemnitees spouse, heirs, executors or personal or legal representatives after the expiration of two (2) years from the date of accrual of such cause of action, and any claim or cause of action of the Company shall be extinguished and deemed released unless asserted by the timely filing of a legal action within such two-year period; provided, however, that if any shorter period of limitations is otherwise applicable to any such cause of action such shorter period shall govern.
26. ADDITIONAL ACTS. If for the validation of any of the provisions in this Agreement any act, resolution, approval or other procedure is required to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company undertakes to cause such act, resolution, approval or other procedure to be affected or adopted in a manner that will enable the Company to fulfil its obligations under this Agreement.
27. WAIVER OF CLAIMS TO TRUST ACCOUNT. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, Indemnitee hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (each, a Claim) in or to any monies in the trust account established in connection with the Companys initial public offering for the benefit of the Company and holders of shares issued in such offering, and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against such trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, Indemnitee acknowledges and agrees that any indemnification provided hereto will only be able to be satisfied by the Company if (i) the Company has sufficient funds outside of the Trust Account to satisfy its obligations hereunder or (ii) the Company consummates a Business Combination.
28. MAINTENANCE OF INSURANCE. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain in effect during the entire period for which the Company is obligated to indemnify the Indemnitee under this Agreement, one or more policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies to provide the officers/directors of the Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts and omissions and to ensure the Companys performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement. The Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any such director or officer under such policy or policies. In all such insurance policies, the Indemnitee shall be named as an insured in such a manner as to provide the Indemnitee with the same rights and benefits as are accorded to the most favorably insured of the Companys directors and officers.
[Signature Page Follows]
18
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indemnity Agreement to be signed as of the day and year first above written.
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I |
By: |
|
Name: | ||
Title: |
INDEMNITEE: |
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
19
Exhibit 10.7
FORM OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This Investment Management Trust Agreement (this Agreement) is made effective as of , 2022, by and between Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation (the Trustee).
WHEREAS, the Companys registration statement on Form S-1, File No. (together, the Registration Statement) and prospectus (the Prospectus) for the initial public offering of the Companys units (the Units), each of which consists of one share of the Companys Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (Common Stock), and one-third of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock (such initial public offering hereinafter referred to as the Offering), has been declared effective as of the date hereof by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and
WHEREAS, the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the Underwriting Agreement) with BofA Securities, Inc., as representative (the Representative) of the several underwriters (the Underwriters) named therein; and
WHEREAS, as described in the Prospectus, $200,000,000 of the gross proceeds of the Offering and sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) (or $230,000,000 if the Underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located at all times in the United States (the Trust Account) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the shares of Common Stock included in the Units issued in the Offering as hereinafter provided (the amount to be delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned thereon) is referred to herein as the Property, the stockholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the Public Stockholders, and the Public Stockholders and the Company will be referred to together as the Beneficiaries); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, a portion of the Property equal to $11,000,000 or $12,650,000 if the Underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full, is attributable to deferred underwriting discounts and commissions that may be payable by the Company to the Underwriters upon the consummation of the Business Combination (as defined below) (the Deferred Discount);
WHEREAS, simultaneously with the Offering, the Companys sponsor will purchase 3,933,333 warrants (Private Placement Warrants) from the Company for an aggregate purchase price of $5,900,000 (and additional amounts of Private Placement Warrants from the Company if the Underwriters exercise their over-allotment option, up to 4,233,333 Private Placement Warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $6,350,000 if the Underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property.
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:
1. Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee in the United States at [First Republic Bank] (or at another U.S. chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more) in the United States, maintained by the Trustee and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;
(b) Manage, supervise and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;
(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property in United States government securities within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (or any successor rule), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company; the Trustee may not invest in any other securities or assets, it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested awaiting the Companys instructions hereunder and the Trustee may earn bank credits or other considerations;
(d) Collect and receive, when due, all principal, interest or other income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the Property, as such term is used herein;
(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Representative of all communications received by the Trustee with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;
(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company (or its authorized agents) in connection with the Companys preparation of the tax returns relating to assets held in the Trust Account or in connection with the preparation or completion of the audit of the Companys financial statements by the Companys auditors;
(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as and when instructed by the Company to do so;
(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of, and amounts in, the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after (x) receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter from the Company (Termination Letter) in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, as applicable, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary or Chairman or Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company (the Board) or other authorized officer of the Company, and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the invested funds held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), only as directed in the Termination Letter
2
and the other documents referred to therein, or (y) the later of (1) 24 months after the closing of the Offering and (2) such later date as may be approved by the Companys stockholders in accordance with the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee prior to such date, in which case the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B and the Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the investment funds held in the Trust Account (net of taxable payable and less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses) shall be distributed to the Public Stockholders of record as of such date. It is acknowledged and agreed that there should be no reduction in the principal amount per share initially deposited in the Trust Account;
(j) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit C (a Withdrawal Instruction), withdraw from the Trust Account and distribute to the Company the amount of interest earned on the Property requested by the Company to cover any tax obligations owed by the Company as a result of assets of the Company or interest or other income earned on the Property, which amount shall be delivered directly to the Company by electronic funds transfer or other method of prompt payment, and the Company shall forward such payment to the relevant taxing authority; provided, however, that to the extent there is not sufficient cash in the Trust Account to pay such tax obligation, the Trustee shall liquidate such assets held in the Trust Account as shall be designated by the Company in writing to make such distribution; so long as there is no reduction in the principal amount initially deposited in the Trust Account; provided, however, that if the tax to be paid is a franchise tax, the written request by the Company to make such distribution shall be accompanied by a copy of the franchise tax bill from the State of Delaware for the Company and a written statement from the principal financial officer of the Company setting forth the actual amount payable (it being acknowledged and agreed that any such amount in excess of interest income earned on the Property shall not be payable from the Trust Account). The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request;
(k) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D (a Stockholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction), the Trustee shall distribute on behalf of the Company the amount requested by the Company to be used to redeem shares of Common Stock from Public Stockholders properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Companys obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Companys initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its public shares of Common Stock if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within such time as is described in the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity. The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to distribute said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request; and
(l) Not make any withdrawals or distributions from the Trust Account other than pursuant to Section 1(i), (j) or (k) above.
3
2. Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the Companys Chairman or Co-Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Secretary. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i), (j) and (k) hereof, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;
(b) Subject to Section 4 hereof, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all documented expenses, including reasonable outside counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any action taken by it hereunder and in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding brought against the Trustee involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand, which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any interest earned on the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting from the Trustees gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this Section 2(b), it shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the Indemnified Claim). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim; provided that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;
(c) Pay the Trustee the fees set forth on Schedule A hereto, including an initial acceptance fee, annual administration fee, and transaction processing fee which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees unless and until it is distributed to, or on behalf of, the Company pursuant to Sections 1(i) through 1(j) hereof. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and the first annual administration fee at the consummation of the Offering. The Company shall not be responsible for any other fees or charges of the Trustee except as set forth in this Section 2(c), Schedule A and as may be provided in Section 2(b) hereof;
(d) In connection with any vote of the Companys stockholders regarding any merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses (the Business Combination), provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of the inspector of elections for the stockholder meeting verifying the vote of such stockholders regarding such Business Combination;
(e) Provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letter(s) and/or any other correspondence that is sent to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after it issues the same;
4
(f) Instruct the Trustee to make only those distributions that are permitted under this Agreement, and refrain from instructing the Trustee to make any distributions that are not permitted under this Agreement;
(g) Expressly provide in any Instruction Letter (as defined in Exhibit A) delivered in connection with a Termination Letter in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A that the Deferred Discount be paid directly to the account or accounts directed by the Representative; and
(h) Within four (4) business days after the Underwriters exercise of the over-allotment option (or any unexercised portion thereof) or such over-allotment option expires, provide the Trustee with a notice in writing of the total amount of the Deferred Discount, which shall in no event be less than $11,000,000 (or $12,650,000 if the Underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full).
3. Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:
(a) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this Agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein;
(b) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Section 1 hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any party under this Agreement except for liability arising out of the Trustees gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;
(c) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have received written instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;
(d) Change the investment of any Property, other than in compliance with Section 1 hereof;
(e) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;
(f) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;
(g) The Company or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the Trustees best judgment, except for the Trustees gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee, which counsel may be the Companys counsel), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which the Trustee believes, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not
5
be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee, signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;
(h) Verify the accuracy of the information contained in the Registration Statement;
(i) Provide any assurance that any Business Combination entered into by the Company or any other action taken by the Company is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;
(j) File information returns with respect to the Trust Account with any local, state or federal taxing authority or provide periodic written statements to the Company documenting the taxes payable by the Company, if any, relating to any interest income earned on the Property;
(k) Prepare, execute and file tax reports, income or other tax returns and pay any taxes with respect to any income generated by, and activities relating to, the Trust Account, regardless of whether such tax is payable by the Trust Account or the Company, including, but not limited to, tax obligations, except pursuant to Section 1(j) hereof; or
(l) Verify calculations, qualify or otherwise approve the Companys written requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i), (j) and (k) hereof.
4. Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (Claim) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under Section 2(b) or (c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.
5. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:
(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee, pending which the Trustee shall continue to act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed by the Company and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever; or
(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account and its obligations in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 2(b).
6
6. Miscellaneous.
(a) The Company and the Trustee each acknowledge that the Trustee will follow the security procedures set forth below with respect to funds transferred from the Trust Account. The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to such security procedures to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such confidential information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee shall rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including, account names, account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a Beneficiary, Beneficiarys bank or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of the Trustees gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability or expense resulting from any error in the information or transmission of the funds.
(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.
(c) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for Section 1(i), 1(j) and 1(k) hereof (which sections may not be modified, amended or deleted without the affirmative vote of sixty-five percent (65%) of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock and Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company, voting together as a single class; provided that no such amendment will affect any Public Stockholder who has properly elected to redeem his, her or its shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend this Agreement), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended or modified (other than to correct a typographical error) by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto.
(d) The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, State of New York, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. AS TO ANY CLAIM, CROSS-CLAIM OR COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.
(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or by electronic mail:
if to the Trustee, to:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn:
Email:
7
if to the Company, to:
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor
Burlingame, CA 94010
Attention: Bryant Williams
E-mail: Bryant.Williams@dbopartners.com
in each case, with copies to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
140 Scott Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Attn: Tad J. Freese
E-mail: tad.freese@lw.com
Latham & Watkins LLP
811 Main Street, Suite 3700
Houston, TX 77002
Attn: Ryan J. Maierson
E-mail: ryan.maierson@lw.com
If to the Underwriters, to:
BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park
New York, NY 10036
Attn:
and
Ropes & Gray LLP
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
Attn: Paul Tropp
E-mail: paul.tropp@ropesgray.com
(f) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder. The Trustee acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the Trust Account, including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance.
8
(g) This Agreement is the joint product of the Trustee and the Company and each provision hereof has been subject to the mutual consultation, negotiation and agreement of such parties and shall not be construed for or against any party hereto.
(h) This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or electronic transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
(i) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Representative, on behalf of the Underwriters, is a third party beneficiaries of this Agreement.
(j) Except as specified herein, no party to this Agreement may assign its rights or delegate its obligations hereunder to any other person or entity.
[Signature Page Follows]
9
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.
CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee |
By: |
|
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I |
By: |
|
Name: | ||
Title: |
SCHEDULE A
Fee Item |
Time and method of payment |
Amount | ||||
Initial set-up fee |
Initial closing of Offering by wire transfer | $ | ||||
Trustee administration fee |
First year, initial closing of Offering by wire transfer, thereafter on the anniversary of the effective date of the Offering by wire transfer or check | $ | ||||
Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Sections 1(i) and 1(j) |
Billed to Company following disbursement made to Company under Section 1 | $ | ||||
Paying Agent services as required pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(k) |
Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(k) | Prevailing rates |
EXHIBIT A
[LETTERHEAD OF COMPANY]
[INSERT DATE]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn:
Re: Trust Account - Termination Letter
Dear :
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the Trustee), dated as of [], 2022 (the Trust Agreement), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [ ] (the Target Business) to consummate a business combination with Target Business (the Business Combination) on or about [insert date]. The Company shall notify you at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the actual date (or such shorter time period as you may agree) of the consummation of the Business Combination (the Consummation Date). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to commence to liquidate all of the assets of the Trust Account, and to transfer the proceeds into the above-referenced trust operating account at [] to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of funds held in the Trust Account will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company and, solely with respect to the Deferred Discount, the Representative, shall direct on the Consummation Date. It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the trust operating account at [] awaiting distribution, none of the Company or the Representative will earn any interest or dividends.
On the Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated, or will be consummated substantially, concurrently with your transfer of funds to the accounts as directed by the Company (the Notification) and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by a vote of the Companys stockholders, if a vote is held and (b) joint written instruction signed by the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account, including payment of amounts owed to public stockholders who have properly exercised their redemption rights and express instructions to pay the Deferred Discount from the Trust Account directly to the account or accounts directed by the Representative (the Instruction Letter). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the Notification and the Instruction Letter, in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
A-1
In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in Section 1(c) of the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in the notice as soon thereafter as possible.
Very truly yours, | ||
Stillwater Growth Corp. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
A-2
EXHIBIT B
[LETTERHEAD OF COMPANY]
[INSERT DATE]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn:
Re: Trust Account - Termination Letter
Dear :
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the Trustee), dated as of [], 2022 (the Trust Agreement), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a business combination with a Target Business (the Business Combination) within the time frame specified in the Companys Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as described in the Companys Prospectus relating to the Offering. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account on [] and to transfer the total proceeds into the trust operating account at [] to await distribution to the Public Stockholders. The Company has selected [ ] as the effective date for the purpose of determining when the Public Stockholders will be entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. It is acknowledged that no interest will be earned by the Company on the liquidation proceeds while on deposit in the trust operating account. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Companys Public Stockholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated, except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 1(j) of the Trust Agreement.
Very truly yours, | ||
Stillwater Growth Corp. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
B-1
EXHIBIT C
[LETTERHEAD OF COMPANY]
[INSERT DATE]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn:
Re: Trust Account [Tax Payment] Withdrawal Instruction
Dear :
Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the Trustee), dated as of [], 2022 (the Trust Agreement), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $_____________ of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay for the tax obligations as set forth on the attached tax return or tax statement. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Companys operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
Very truly yours, | ||
Stillwater Growth Corp. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
C-1
EXHIBIT D
[LETTERHEAD OF COMPANY]
[INSERT DATE]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn:
Re: Trust Account - Stockholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction
Dear :
Pursuant to Section 1(k) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the Trustee), dated as of [], 2022 (Trust Agreement), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the redeeming Public Stockholders of the Company $[ ] of the principal and interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay its Public Stockholders who have properly elected to have their shares of Common Stock redeemed by the Company in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Companys obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Companys initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its public shares of Common Stock if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within such time as is described in the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders rights of the Common Stock or pre-initial Business Combination activity. As such, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the redeeming Public Stockholders in accordance with your customary procedures.
Very truly yours, | ||
Stillwater Growth Corp. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
D-1
Exhibit 10.8
, 2022
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
1409 Chapin Ave., 2nd Floor
Burlingame, CA 94010
Re: Initial Public Offering
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter (this Letter Agreement) is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the Underwriting Agreement) entered into or proposed to be entered into by and among Stillwater Growth Corp. I, a Delaware corporation (the Company), and BofA Securities, Inc., as the representative (the Representative) of the several underwriters named therein (collectively, the Underwriters), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the Public Offering) of up to 23,000,000 of the Companys units (including up to 3,000,000 units that may be purchased to cover over-allotments, if any) (the Units), each comprised of one share of the Companys Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (Common Stock), and one-third of one redeemable warrant (each, a Warrant). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The Units will be sold in the Public Offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 and prospectus (the Prospectus) filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) and the Company has applied to have the Units listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 11 hereof.
In order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, D Squared Sponsor LLC (the Sponsor) and the undersigned individuals, each of whom is a member of the Companys board of directors, a nominee for membership on the Companys board of directors and/or a member of the Companys management team (each, an Insider and collectively, the Insiders), hereby agrees, severally but not jointly, with the Company as follows:
1. The Sponsor and each Insider agrees that if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed Business Combination, it, he or she shall (i) vote any shares of Capital Stock owned by it, him or her in favor of any proposed Business Combination and (ii) not redeem any shares of Common Stock owned by it, him or her in connection with such stockholder approval. If the Company seeks to consummate a proposed Business Combination by engaging in a tender offer, the Sponsor and each Insider agrees that it, he or she will not sell or tender any shares of Common Stock owned by it, him or her in connection therewith.
2. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees that in the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Public Offering, or such later period as approved by the Companys stockholders in accordance with the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an Extension Period), the Sponsor and each Insider shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the shares of Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Public Offering (the Offering Shares), at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish all Public Stockholders rights as stockholders of the Company (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Companys remaining stockholders and the Companys board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Companys obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law. The Sponsor and each Insider agrees not to propose any amendment to the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Companys obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Companys initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Public Offering or with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of the Common Stock or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Offering Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares.
The Sponsor and each Insider acknowledges that it, he or she has no right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or any other asset of the Company as a result of any liquidation of the Company with respect to the Founder Shares held by it. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby further waives, with respect to any shares of Common Stock held by it, him or her, if any, any redemption rights it, he or she may have in connection with (A) the consummation of a Business Combination, including, without limitation, any such rights available in the context of a stockholder vote to approve such Business Combination or (B) in the context of a tender offer made by the Company to purchase shares of Common Stock, or in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Companys amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Companys obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Companys initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Company has not consummated a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Public Offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of the Common Stock or pre-initial Business Combination activity (although the Sponsor, the Insiders and their respective affiliates shall be entitled to redemption and liquidation rights with respect to any Offering Shares it or they hold if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within 24 months from the date of the closing of the Public Offering or any Extension Period).
2
3. Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in paragraphs 7(a) and (b) below, during the period commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and ending 180 days after such date, the Sponsor and each Insider shall not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with, or submit to, the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) relating to any Units, shares of Common Stock, Founder Shares, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, any Units, Common Stock, Founder Shares, or Warrants, or publicly disclose the intention to undertake any of the foregoing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Units, shares of Common Stock, Founder Shares, or Warrants or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of units or such other securities, in cash or otherwise; provided, however, the foregoing shall not apply to the forfeiture of any Founder Shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of Founder Shares to current or future independent directors of the company (as long as such current or future independent director is subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement with respect to such Founder Shares at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any reporting obligation under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Section 16), is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation of the transfer). The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if the release or waiver is effected solely to permit a transfer not for consideration and the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same terms described in this Letter Agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of the transfer.
4. In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account upon the failure of the Company to consummate a Business Combination within 24 months from the date of the closing of the Public Offering or any Extension Period, the Sponsor (which for purposes of clarification shall not extend to any other stockholders, members or managers of the Sponsor, or any of the other undersigned) agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, whether pending or threatened, or any claim whatsoever) to which the Company may become subject as a result of any claim by (i) any third party (other than the Companys independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company or (ii) a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement (a Target); provided, however, that such indemnification of the Company by the Sponsor shall apply only to the extent necessary to ensure that such claims by a third party for services rendered (other than the Companys independent registered public accounting firm) or products sold to the Company or a Target do not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per Offering Share or (ii) such lesser amount per Offering Share held in the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case, net of the amount of interest earned on the property in the Trust Account which may be withdrawn to pay the Companys taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and except as to any claims under the Companys indemnity of the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that any such executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against such third party, the Sponsor shall not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. The Sponsor shall have the right to defend against any such claim with counsel of its choice reasonably satisfactory to the Company if, within 15 days following written receipt of notice of the claim to the Sponsor, the Sponsor notifies the Company in writing that it shall undertake such defense.
3
5. To the extent that the Underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 Units within 45 days from the date of the Prospectus (and as further described in the Prospectus), each Initial Stockholder agrees that it shall forfeit, at no cost, its pro rata portion of a number of Founder Shares in the aggregate equal to 750,000 multiplied by a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 3,000,000 minus the number of Units purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their over-allotment option, and (ii) the denominator of which is 3,000,000. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the Underwriters so that the number of Founder Shares will represent an aggregate of 20.0% of the Companys issued and outstanding shares of Capital Stock after the Public Offering (not including shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants or the Private Placement Warrants). The Initial Stockholders further agree that to the extent that the size of the Public Offering is increased or decreased, the Company will effect a stock dividend or share repurchase or contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the Public Offering in such amount as to maintain the number of Founder Shares at 20.0% of its issued and outstanding shares of Capital Stock upon the consummation of the Public Offering. In connection with such increase or decrease in the size of the Public Offering, then (A) the references to 3,000,000 in the numerator and denominator of the formula in the first sentence of this paragraph shall be changed to a number equal to 15.0% of the number of shares included in the Units issued in the Public Offering and (B) the reference to 750,000 in the formula set forth in the first sentence of this paragraph 5 shall be adjusted to such number of Founder Shares that the Initial Stockholders would have to return to the Company in order for the number of Founder Shares to equal an aggregate of 20.0% of the Companys issued and outstanding shares of Capital Stock after the Public Offering.
6. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees and acknowledges that: (i) the Underwriters and the Company may be irreparably injured in the event of a breach by such Sponsor or Insider of its, or his or her obligations under paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7(a), 7(b), 8 and 9 of this Letter Agreement, (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.
7. (a) The Sponsor and each Insider agrees that it, he or she shall not Transfer any Founder Shares (or shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion thereof) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of the Companys initial Business Combination and (B) subsequent to the Companys initial Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Companys initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Companys stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property (the Founder Shares Lock-up Period).
4
(b) The Sponsor and each Insider agrees that it, he or she shall not Transfer any Private Placement Warrants (or shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants), until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination (the Private Placement Warrants Lock-up Period, together with the Founder Shares Lock-up Period, the Lock-up Periods).
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in paragraphs 7(a) and (b), Transfers of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise or conversion of the Private Placement Warrants or the Founder Shares and that are held by the Sponsor, any Insider or any of their permitted transferees (that have complied with this paragraph 7(c)), are permitted (a) to the Companys officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of the Companys officers or directors, any members of the Sponsor, or any affiliates of the Sponsor; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individuals immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individuals immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of the Companys liquidation prior to the completion of its initial Business Combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware or the Sponsors limited liability company agreement, as amended, upon dissolution of the Sponsor; or (h) in the event of the Companys completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization 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 subsequent to the Companys completion of a Business Combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement with the Company agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions herein and the other restrictions contained in this Agreement (including provisions relating to voting, the Trust Account and liquidating distributions).
8. The Sponsor and each Insider represents and warrants that it, he or she has never been suspended or expelled from membership in any securities or commodities exchange or association or had a securities or commodities license or registration denied, suspended or revoked. Each Insiders biographical information furnished to the Company (including any such information included in the Prospectus) is true and accurate in all respects and does not omit any material information with respect to the undersigneds background. Each Insiders questionnaire furnished to the Company and the Representatives is true and accurate in all respects. Each Insider represents and warrants that: such Insider is not subject to or a respondent in any legal action for, any injunction, cease-and-desist order or order or stipulation to desist or refrain from any act or practice relating to the offering of securities in any jurisdiction; such Insider has never been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, any crime (i) involving fraud, (ii) relating to any financial transaction or handling of funds of another person, or (iii) pertaining to any dealings in any securities and it is not currently a defendant in any such criminal proceeding.
9. Except as disclosed in, or expressly contemplated by, the Prospectus, neither the Sponsor nor any Insider nor any affiliate of the Sponsor or any Insider, nor any director or officer of the Company, shall receive from the Company any finders fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any repayment of a loan or other compensation prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate the consummation of the Companys initial Business Combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).
5
10. The Sponsor and each Insider has full right and power, without violating any agreement to which it is bound (including, without limitation, any non-competition or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement and, as applicable, to serve as an officer and/or a director on the board of directors of the Company, as applicable, and hereby consents to being named in the Prospectus as an officer and/or director of the Company, as applicable.
11. As used herein, (i) Business Combination shall mean any merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses; (ii) Capital Stock shall mean, collectively, the Common Stock and the Founder Shares; (iii) Founder Shares shall mean the 5,750,000 shares of the Companys Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding as of the date hereof (up to 750,000 of which are subject to complete or partial forfeiture by the Sponsor if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the Underwriters); (iv) Initial Stockholders shall mean the Sponsor and any Insider that holds Founder Shares; (v) Private Placement Warrants shall mean the Warrants to purchase shares of Common Stock of the Company that the Sponsor has agreed to purchase for an aggregate purchase price of $5,900,000 in the aggregate (or $6,350,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that shall occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering; (vi) Public Stockholders shall mean the holders of securities issued in the Public Offering; (vii) Trust Account shall mean the trust fund into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants shall be deposited; and (viii) Transfer shall mean the (a) sale or assignment of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).
12. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by (1) each Insider that is the subject of any such change, amendment, modification or waiver, (2) the Company and (3) the Sponsor.
6
13. No party hereto may assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the other parties. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This Letter Agreement shall be binding on the Sponsor and each Insider and their respective successors, heirs and assigns and permitted transferees.
14. This Letter Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
15. This Letter Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Letter Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Letter Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
16. This Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, including, without limitation, Sections 5-1401 and 5-1402 of the New York General Obligations Law and New York Civil Practice Laws and Rules 327(b). The parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding, claim or dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of New York City, in the State of New York, and irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be exclusive and (ii) waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
17. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or facsimile transmission.
18. This Letter Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of the Lock-up Periods and (ii) the liquidation of the Company; provided, however, that this Letter Agreement shall earlier terminate in the event that the Public Offering is not consummated and closed by November 30, 2021; provided further that paragraph 4 of this Letter Agreement shall survive such liquidation.
[Signature Page Follows]
7
Sincerely, | ||
D SQUARED SPONSOR LLC | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
| ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
| ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
| ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Letter Agreement]
Acknowledged and Agreed: | ||
STILLWATER GROWTH CORP. I | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Letter Agreement]
Exhibit 23.1
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRMS CONSENT
We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Stillwater Growth Corp. I (the Company) on Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1 (File No. 333-255320) of our report dated April 25, 2022, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Companys ability to continue as a going concern, with respect to our audit of the financial statements of Stillwater Growth Corp. I as of December 31, 2021 and for the period from February 11, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading Experts in such Prospectus.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
April 25, 2022
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Tables
Form S-1
(Form Type)
Stillwater Growth Corp. I
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Table 1: Newly Registered and Carry Forward Securities
Security Type | Security Class Title |
Fee Calculation or Carry Forward Rule |
Amount Registered |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit |
Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(1) |
Fee Rate | Amount of Registration Fee(2) | |||||||
Equity |
Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and one-third of one redeemable warrant(2) | Rule 457(o) | 23,000,000 Units | $10.00 | $230,000,000 | 0.0000927 | $21,321 | |||||||
Equity |
Class A common stock included as part of units(1) | Other(3) | 23,000,000 Shares | | | | | |||||||
Equity |
Redeemable warrants included as part of units(1) | Other(3) | 7,666,667 Warrants | | | | | |||||||
Equity |
Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of redeemable warrants included as part of the units(1) | Rule 457(o) | 7,666,667 Shares | $11.50 | $88,166,670.50 | 0.0000927 | $8,174 | |||||||
Total Offering Amounts |
$318,166,670.50 | $29,495 | ||||||||||||
Total Fees Previously Paid |
$29,495 | |||||||||||||
Total Fee Offsets |
| |||||||||||||
Net Fee Due |
|
(1) | Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from share sub-divisions, share dividends or similar transactions. |
(2) | Includes 3,000,000 units, consisting of 3,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and 1,000,000 redeemable warrants, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any. |
(3) | No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g). |