UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
(MARK ONE)
For the fiscal year ended
OR
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number:
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
|
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
|
|
||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
N/A
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| The Stock Market, LLC | ||||
| The Stock Market, LLC | ||||
| The Stock Market, LLC |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
| ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ||
| Emerging growth company |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
The registrant’s Units began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on October 27, 2021 and its Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, commenced separate trading on December 17, 2021.
As of March 11, 2022, there were Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding.
TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021
Table of Contents
i
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K, or this Annual Report, contains statements that are forward-looking and as such are not historical facts. This includes, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations. These statements constitute projections, forecasts and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. When we discuss our strategies or plans, we are making projections, forecasts or forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, our management. Actual results and shareholders’ value will be affected by a variety of risks and factors, including, without limitation, international, national and local economic conditions, merger, acquisition and business combination risks, financing risks, geo-political risks, acts of terror or war, and those risk factors described under “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” Many of the risks and factors that will determine these results and shareholder value are beyond our ability to control or predict.
Forward-looking statements in this Annual Report 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; |
| ● | our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; |
| ● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
| ● | the liquidity and trading of our public 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. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report 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.
ii
RISK FACTORS SUMMARY
Our company is subject to numerous risks described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report. You should carefully consider these risks before making an investment. Some of these risks relating to our business objectives, our organization and structure and our securities include:
| ● | Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination. |
| ● | Your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash. |
| ● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote. |
| ● | The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target. |
| ● | The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares. |
| ● | The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 15 months after the closing of our initial public offering 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 shareholders. |
| ● | 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 coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets. |
| ● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities. |
| ● | If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for submitting or tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed. |
| ● | You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies. |
| ● | 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 shareholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. |
| ● | If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 15 months following the closing of the offering, it could limit the amount of cash 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 and to complete our initial business combination. |
| ● | Past performance by our management team and their affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company. |
iii
| ● | You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss. |
| ● | The Nasdaq Stock Market (“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. |
| ● | Unlike some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue certain shares to consummate an initial business combination. |
| ● | We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. |
| ● | Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.” |
iv
PART I
Item 1. Business.
In this Annual Report, references to the “Company” and to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to TKB Critical Technologies 1.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on April 20, 2021 as a Cayman Islands exempted company 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 Annual Report as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, we currently intend to concentrate our efforts in identifying businesses that provide critical technologies in the industrial base supply chain recognized by the United States Government to maintain technological leadership, national security, and supply chain independence. Such vital technologies include, but are not limited to, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, automation, data security, energy storage and power management, financial technology (payment solution), industrial software, internet of things (“IoT”), microelectronics, robotics, and wireless communications equipment.
On October 29, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 23,000,000 units, including 3,000,000 Units that were issued pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we consummated the sale of 10,750,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant in a private placement to our sponsor, TKB Sponsor I, LLC, generating proceeds of $10,750,000.
A total of $234,600,000 of the proceeds from the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants were placed in a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are each traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “USCTU,” “USCT” and “USCTW,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on October 27, 2021, and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants commenced separate public trading on December 17, 2021.
Value Proposition and Differentiation
We believe our management team, board of directors, and advisory board bring a unique set of financial, operation, public market, and industry experience that will be highly beneficial to potential targets and public market investors to unlock significant value and drive long-term growth:
| ● | Proven track record with global transaction experience: Our management team has been involved in technology transactions on a global scale, having completed more than 50 transactions across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Israel, India, Australia, and Asia. Our management team has bought and sold public and private companies across all stages of the business lifecycle. |
| ● | Extensive operating experience: Our management team and board of directors have nearly 100 years of combined operating experience and success in scaling public and private companies through organic and inorganic strategies. Philippe Tartavull has over 35 years of experience building, growing, and leading public and private global technology companies including business transformation, scaling, and strategic initiatives. Furthermore, Ryan O’Hara is a three-time CEO with extensive leadership and general management experiences across a range of large companies. |
| ● | Public market experience: Our management team and board of directors have decades of experience playing key roles in successful IPOs and serving as senior executives of public companies. Philippe Tartavull has over 35 years of experience and served as the Chief Executive Officer of public companies, including Xura/Comverse (NASDAQ: MESG) and Hypercom (NYSE: HYC). William Zerella has public market experience serving as a Chief Financial Officer and has been involved in three IPOs. His public market experience includes ACV Auctions (NASDAQ: ACVA), Luminar Technologies (NASDAQ: LAZR), FitBit (NYSE: FIT), and Vocera Communications (NASDAQ: VCRA). |
1
| ● | Industry knowledge: Our management team, board of directors, and advisory board have developed deep domain expertise across various industrial technology sectors. One board member is an inventor with over 50 patents and one advisory board member leads one of the most respected private sector consulting firms specializing in the defense of the United States supply chain. |
| ● | Global network: We have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships in critical technology sectors including industrials, software, technology, telecommunications, and business services. Our network includes hundreds of contacts that we believe will be helpful in identifying and sourcing our eventual target. |
Opportunity and Target Industries
We intend to target industries and segments that provide critical technologies in the industrial base supply chain recognized by the United States Government as necessary to maintain United States’ technological superiority and national security. These technologies are used across various industries and applications and include, but are not limited to, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, automation, data security, energy storage and power management, financial technology (payment solution), industrial software, IoT, microelectronics, robotics, and wireless communications equipment. Specific solutions may focus on enabling cheaper, faster, safer, more reliable and flexible manufacturing and production processes, or reducing costs while improving quality and efficiency through automation.
We believe that these sectors represent attractive target markets as significant secular and regulatory tailwinds drive continued growth and investment in a fragmented landscape. Natural disasters, geopolitical unrest, cyber-attacks, and trade barriers have exposed the need for domestic re-shoring to bring manufacturing closer to end-user demand and reduce threats to supply chain disruptions.
Globalization over the past few decades has made American supply chains increasingly complex and opaque. Rising wages, increased regulations and quality standards, tighter deadlines, and other factors have further complicated daily operations. New, innovative technologies and applications have focused on making industrial processes faster, more profitable, and sustainable while lowering capital intensity and complexity.
We believe the trend in supply chain repatriation will continue to grow across the United States as threats such as natural disasters, geopolitical unrest, cyber-attacks, and trade barriers have exposed the need for domestic re-shoring to bring manufacturing closer to end-user demand and reduce the number of potential threats to supply chain disruptions. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic further exposed the fragility and dependency of America’s supply chain on foreign countries, accelerating the need to restructure America’s supply chain to improve its resiliency. Protecting intellectual property has become a top United States government priority to ensure national security, maintain global leadership in technology, and enhance the future resiliency of America’s supply chain. Our goal is to acquire a company that we can help grow into a domestic and global leader that helps secure American supply chain independence, protects national security, and creates sustainable domestic jobs to boost the United States economy and its technology leadership.
As a result of these trends and forecasts, we believe these critical technologies create a significant market opportunity for us. Our acquisition strategy and investment process will enable us to seek a wide range of opportunities in our target industries. Our management team’s operating expertise coupled with our directors and advisors will enable our eventual target to grow into a domestic and global technology leader.
Acquisition Criteria
We have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into an initial business combination with a target business that does not meet all of these criteria and guidelines:
| ● | $700 million or more enterprise value: We intend to target companies with an enterprise value of $700 million or more. We believe companies of this size will have established differentiated technology that may provide support for proven fundamentals and a roadmap to an established customer base. Our management team, board members, and advisory board will best bet able to unlock value for companies of this size. |
2
| ● | Differentiated technologies with high barriers to entry: We intend to target companies with differentiated technology with difficult-to-replicate intellectual property, potentially protected by patents, or requiring significant investment and time commitment along with deep technology expertise. Our management team, board members, and advisory board have the experience to identify differentiated and undifferentiated technologies along with assessing market position and defensibility. |
| ● | Critical technologies in the industrial base supply chain that strengthen America’s leadership in technology: We intend to target companies that provide a solution that is critical to the United States industrial base supply chain and ensures national security independence based in the U.S. or our Allied Nations. Our management team, board members, and advisory board have industry knowledge and network contacts to source and validate the importance of a solution with respect to maintaining America’s global technology leadership, ensuring national security and securing supply chain independence. |
| ● | Established customer relationships and sustainable revenue with a robust long-term growth outlook: We intend to enter into a business combination with a company that generates revenue and already has established customer relationships. In addition, we are seeking a company that has a scalable platform and capital efficient business model. We believe that our management team, board of directors, and advisory board have a unique combination of skills that are well-suited for scaling companies with a proven product rather than developing a product. |
| ● | Stable and strong management team and readiness to become public ready: We intend to enter into a business combination with a company that has an existing, tenured management team and has existing, or in the process of putting in place, processes that enable the company to satisfy all public market rules and regulations. Our management team has significant public market experience that we believe would benefit the target company in unlocking additional shareholder value. |
These criteria and guidelines 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 criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines our management may deem relevant. In the event we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination which would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest 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 fair market value test. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Even though our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public shareholders with our analysis of our satisfaction of the 80% of fair market value test, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
3
Our Business Combination Process
In evaluating prospective business combinations, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review process that will encompass, among other things, a review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with management and their advisors (if applicable), on-site inspection of facilities and assets (if possible), discussion with customers and suppliers, legal reviews and other reviews as we deem appropriate. We will also seek to utilize the expertise of our management team in analyzing critical technology companies and evaluating operating projections, financial projections and determining the appropriate return expectations given the risk profile of the target business.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. 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 directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such other entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations to present the opportunity to such entity, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will not materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our memorandum and articles of association provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
Our sponsor, directors and officers are, or may become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a business similar to our company. Our sponsor, directors and officers are not prohibited from sponsoring, investing in or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies (including special purpose acquisition companies similar to our company), including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other special purpose acquisition companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Employees
We currently have three executive officers: Mr. Philippe Tartavull (Executive Chairman), Mr. Greg Klein (Co-Chief Executive Officer) and Ms. Angela Blatteis (Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer). These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters, but they have devoted and will continue 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 they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
4
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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public 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 ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the end of that fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Our executive offices are located at 400 Continental Blvd, Suite 600, El Segundo, CA 90245 and our phone number is 310-426-2153. Our corporate website address is www.tkbtech.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 Annual Report. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
5
Item 1A. Risk Factors
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 Annual Report, before making a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders do not approve of the business combination we complete.
We may engage the underwriters of our initial public offering or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us, 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. The underwriters are 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 any such additional services to us, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage the underwriters of our initial public offering or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us, 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 the underwriters or their respective affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriter’s’ or their respective 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.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our initial shareholders own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders and management team also may from time to time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our memorandum and articles of association provides that, if we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial shareholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
6
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into 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 shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or make us unable to satisfy a minimum cash 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 shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares 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. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares results in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, 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 shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with your exercise of redemption rights until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 15 months after the closing of our initial public offering 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 shareholders.
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 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering. 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 timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
7
In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial business combination, our management will rely on the availability of all of the funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities to be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination. If the sale of some or all of the forward purchase securities fails to close, for any reason, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.
We have entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which the forward purchasers have subscribed to purchase from us up to $96.0 million of forward purchase securities substantially concurrently with our initial business combination. The funds from the sale of forward purchase securities may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in our initial business combination, expenses in connection with our initial business combination or for working capital in the post-transaction company. Each forward purchaser’s obligation to purchase its forward purchase securities is subject to the approval of such forward purchaser’s investment committee following notice from us to such forward purchaser that we intend to enter into a business combination agreement, as well as to the fulfillment of customary closing conditions.
Each forward purchaser’s obligations to purchase the forward purchase securities is also subject to termination prior to the closing of the sale of the forward purchase securities by mutual written consent of the Company and the forward purchaser. In the event of any such failure to fund by the forward purchaser, any obligation is so terminated or any such closing condition is not satisfied and not waived by the forward purchaser, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.
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 coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
Since it was first reported in December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, has spread across the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination at all if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target business’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing, which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Finally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.
8
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 15 months after the closing of our initial public offering, in which case, unless any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association is approved, we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within 15 months after the closing of our initial public offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein, including the impact of events such as the war between Russia and Ukraine and the continued impact of outbreaks of COVID-19 in both in the U.S. and globally. These factors could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their respective affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their respective 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, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material non-public information), our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such purchases or other transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such purchases may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights.
In the event that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining the requisite shareholder approval of the 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. We expect any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (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 ordinary shares or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
9
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or submit public shares for redemption. For example, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent, or to deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed.
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 shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. 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 may use to pay our taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds then held in the trust account, plus any interest income (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses). If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $234,600,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of our initial public 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 United States securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 and have filed 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 are not 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 our initial public offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our memorandum and articles of association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
10
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar or greater technical, human and other resources to ours or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public 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, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 15 months following the closing of our initial public offering, 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 and to complete our initial business combination.
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $750,562 held outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least 15 months following the closing of our initial public 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. 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 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 advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.20 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
11
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (except for 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 shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. The underwriters of our initial public offering as well as our registered independent public accounting firm 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 management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.20 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement filed in connection with our initial public offering, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.20 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.20 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per 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.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.20 per share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
12
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. 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 shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition or an involuntary bankruptcy, winding-up or insolvency petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
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; |
| ● | restrictions on the issuance of securities; and |
| ● | 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 other rules and regulations that we are not subject to. |
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
13
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. An investment in our securities is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our memorandum and articles of association 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 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering; and (iii) absent an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, 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 are 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.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that, immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offense and may be liable for a fine and to imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to appoint directors.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “Companies Act”) for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
14
Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector 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 business’s operations.
Our efforts to identify a prospective initial business combination target will not be limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic region. While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify, acquire and operate a business or businesses that can benefit from our management team’s established global relationships and operating experience. Our management team has extensive experience in identifying and executing strategic investments globally and has done so successfully in a number of sectors. Our memorandum and articles of association prohibits us from effectuating a business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or 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 shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from a valuation or appraisal firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from a valuation or appraisal firm that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
15
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 shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this Annual Report to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following our initial public offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers 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 Class A ordinary shares; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares 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. |
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our initial public 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 our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants units provided us with $231,950,000 that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $8,800,000 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 developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
| ● | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, 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.
16
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 seek acquisition opportunities with an early-stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early-stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our 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 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 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 business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable (if at all) as we believed at the time of signing an agreement to acquire such private company or that fails to meet the projections upon which our valuation may be based.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
17
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 shareholders or warrant holders do not agree.
Our memorandum and articles of association does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for; (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval 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 Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceeds the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares in connection with such initial business combination, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, special purpose acquisition companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our memorandum and articles of association will require a special resolution being (i) the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our memorandum and articles of association requires us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association 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 an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of our securities, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
18
The provisions of our memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of a special resolution being (i) the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other special purpose acquisition companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Our memorandum and articles of association provides that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended by special resolution being (i) the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Our initial shareholders, who collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares, may participate in any vote to amend our memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other special purpose acquisition companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to written agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our memorandum and articles of association 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 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, executive officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Certain agreements related to our initial public offering may be amended without shareholder approval.
Each of the agreements related to our initial public offering to which we are a party, other than the warrant agreement and the investment management trust agreement, may be amended without shareholder approval. Such agreements are: the underwriting agreement; the letter agreement among us and our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors; the registration rights agreement among us and our initial shareholders; the private placement warrants purchase agreement between us and our sponsor; and the administrative services agreement among us, our sponsor and an affiliate of our sponsor. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting agreement contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and other securities held by our initial shareholders and our management team. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to facilitate our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement. Any amendment entered into in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to such initial business combination, and any other material amendment to any of our material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments would not require approval from our shareholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For example, amendments to the lock-up provision discussed above may result in our initial shareholders selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
19
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target but intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. As a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemption by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Our initial shareholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial shareholders own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our memorandum and articles of association. If our initial shareholders purchase any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither our initial shareholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this Annual Report. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, 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 a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual general meeting to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual general 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 shareholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. 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. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that the proxy statement with respect to the vote on an initial business combination include historical and pro forma financial statement disclosure. 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, GAAP or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
20
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. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target 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 business combination.
Changes in the market for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
Over the past year, the market for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims, or run-off insurance. The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
21
Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of 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.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. 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 our 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. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
22
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
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 shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
If we pursue a target business 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 initial business 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. Furthermore, 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 jurisdiction, 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; |
| ● | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
| ● | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
| ● | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
| ● | exchange listing and/or delisting requirements; |
| ● | tariffs and trade barriers; |
23
| ● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
| ● | local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
| ● | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
| ● | challenges in managing and staffing international operations; |
| ● | longer payment cycles; |
| ● | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
| ● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
| ● | rates of inflation; |
| ● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
| ● | cultural and language differences; |
| ● | employment regulations; |
| ● | underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
| ● | corruption; |
| ● | protection of intellectual property; |
| ● | social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances; |
| ● | regime changes and political upheaval; |
| ● | terrorist attacks and wars, including the war between Russia and Ukraine; and |
| ● | deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
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 initial business combination, or, if we complete such initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to our Management Team
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers, directors and advisors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers, directors and advisors 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 officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
24
Past performance by our management team and their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team or businesses associated with them is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management team’s or businesses associated with them as indicative of our future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination 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 of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this Annual Report regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to ascertain or assess adequately all of the relevant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our executive 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 executive 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 businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our executive 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.
25
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our memorandum and articles of association provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. Any such companies, businesses or ventures may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our sponsor or officers intend to form other special purpose acquisition companies in the future, which may occur prior our completing our initial business combination and could cause conflicts of interest.
Our sponsor or our officers intend to sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies in the future, which may occur while we are still seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may pursue similar targets and compete with us for business combination opportunities. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates. Consequently, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities and such opportunities may be presented to such other companies instead of us. However, we do not currently expect that any such other special purpose acquisition company would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our executive officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, executive officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or executive officers, although we do not intend to do so. 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.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, it would be a breach of their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individuals for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
26
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, executive officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors 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 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 which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they have acquired or may acquire), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On April 29, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to purchase 5,750,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.004 per share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the 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 the company by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option were exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after our initial public offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,750,000 warrants, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, each exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $10,750,000, or $1.00 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our executive 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 date that is 15 months after of the closing of our initial public offering nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
Risks Relating to our Securities
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our memorandum and articles of association 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 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering or during any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if our plan to redeem our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering is not completed for any reason, compliance with Cayman Islands law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing shareholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
27
Nasdaq may delist our securities from its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are currently listed on Nasdaq. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum average global market capitalization and a minimum number of holders of our securities. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and the publicly held shares would be required to be at least $15 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders and 1,000,000 publicly held shares. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
| ● | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
| ● | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
| ● | a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
| ● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
| ● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants have been approved to be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment 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. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the completion of an initial business combination.
28
Since only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote to appoint directors, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
Only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote to appoint directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
| ● | we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of Nasdaq; |
| ● | we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and |
| ● | we have independent director oversight of our director nominations. |
We do not currently intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements.
An investment in our securities may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in our securities 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 issued in our initial public offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of a warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, or courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we issued in our initial public offering is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any dividends we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder of our ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year may depend on the status of the target company pursuant to a business combination and whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception. Depending on the particular circumstances, the application of the start-up exception is uncertain, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. holder upon request such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. holders to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules.
29
We may re-domicile or reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, which may result in taxes imposed on shareholders and warrant holders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination, re-domicile or reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders and warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Registration of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws 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 commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement filed in connection with our initial public offering or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case the number of Class A ordinary shares that warrant holders will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. 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 our initial public offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to sell the ordinary shares underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying ordinary shares. 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.
If our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities 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 (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws.
30
Warrant holders may only be able to exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis” under certain circumstances, and if a warrant holder does so, it will receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if it were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The warrant agreement provides that in the following circumstances holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and will, instead, be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act: (i) if the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement; (ii) if we have so elected and the Class A ordinary shares is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act; and (iii) if we have so elected and we call the public warrants for redemption. If you exercise your public warrants on a cashless basis, you would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined in the next sentence) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for purposes of this calculation (other than in connection with a redemption) is the average last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. If we have elected to call the public warrants for redemption when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00 per share, the “fair market value” for purposes of this calculation is the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. As a result, you would receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The registration rights granted to our initial shareholders and holders of our private placement warrants may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into concurrently with our initial public offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such warrants and forward purchasers can demand that we register the forward purchase securities. The registration rights will be exercisable with respect to the founder shares and the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such private placement warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities.
The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
31
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021, there are 154,750,000 and 14,250,000 authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but does not take into account shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares or the forward purchase securities. The Class B ordinary shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our memorandum and articles of association. There are no preference shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares to redeem the warrants or upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth therein. However, our memorandum and articles of association provides, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a Class with our public shares (a) on any initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 15 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions. These provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares, including pursuant to the forward purchase agreements:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in our initial public offering; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares 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; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
Unlike some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue certain shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders), including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any forward purchase securities, any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities or rights exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans, provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis. This is different than some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies in which the initial shareholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to our initial business combination.
32
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants and forward purchase warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants were 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 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants and forward purchase warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants and forward purchase warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then-outstanding private placement warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants and forward purchase 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 shares (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions 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, or 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, or an enforcement action, and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
33
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding 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 sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in these circumstances for so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. 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 (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant, upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met, including that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (i) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time when the underlying share price is higher and (ii) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of Class A ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered in our initial public offering and, simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 10,750,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. We may also issue up to 4,800,000 forward purchase warrants in connection with the issuance of forward purchase securities under the forward purchase agreements. Our initial shareholders currently own an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares. The founder shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors makes any working capital loans, such lender may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant.
To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other special purpose acquisition companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one 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 it included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
34
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price (as defined in the warrant agreement) of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the Market Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of our Class A ordinary shares 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, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we complete an initial business combination. In addition, the value of the sponsor’s founder shares will be significantly greater than the amount our sponsor paid to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares to materially decline.
Our sponsor invested an aggregate of $10,775,000 in us in connection with our initial public offering, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $10,750,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants. We offered our units to the public at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, because the sponsor paid only a nominal purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share for the founder shares, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted as a result of the automatic conversion of our sponsor’s founder shares into Class A ordinary shares upon our completion of an initial business combination.
The following table shows the public shareholders’ and our sponsor’s investment per share and how these compare to the implied value of one Class A ordinary share upon the completion of our initial business combination. The following table assumes that (i) our valuation is $234,600,000 (which is the amount we have in the trust account for our initial business combination), (ii) no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, (iii) no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination and (iv) all founder shares are held by our initial shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination, and does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of the initial business combination such as (i) the value of our public and private placement warrants, (ii) the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares, (iii) any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers, (iv) any equity issued to other third party investors, or (v) the target’s business itself.
| Class A ordinary shares held by public shareholders | 23,000,000 shares | |||
| Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders | 5,750,000 shares | |||
| Total ordinary shares | 28,750,000 shares | |||
| Total funds in trust at the initial business combination | $ | 234,600,000 | ||
| Public shareholders’ investment per Class A ordinary share(1) | $ | 10.00 | ||
| Our initial shareholders’ investment per Class B ordinary share(2) | $ | 1.87 | ||
| Implied value per Class A ordinary share upon the initial business combination(3) | $ | 8.16 |
| (1) | While the public shareholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only. |
| (2) | Our initial shareholders’ total investment in the equity of the company, inclusive of the founder shares and the sponsor’s $10,750,000 investment in the private placement warrants, is $10,775,000. For purposes of this table, the full investment amount is ascribed to the founder shares only. |
| (3) | All founder shares held by our initial shareholders would automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares upon completion of our initial business combination. |
35
Based on these assumptions, each Class A ordinary share would have an implied value of $8.16 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, representing a 18.4% decrease from the initial implied value of $10.00 per public share. While the implied value of $8.16 per Class A ordinary share upon completion of our initial business combination would represent a dilution to our public shareholders, this would represent a significant increase in value for our initial shareholders relative to the price they paid for each founder share. At $8.16 per Class A ordinary share, the 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares that our initial shareholders would own upon completion of our initial business combination (after automatic conversion of the 5,750,000 founder shares) would have an aggregate implied value of $46,920,000. As a result, even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary share significantly declines, the value of the founder shares held by our initial shareholders will be significantly greater than the amount our initial shareholders paid to purchase such shares. In addition, our initial shareholders could potentially recoup their entire investment in our company even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares after the initial business combination is as low as $1.87 per share. As a result, our initial shareholders are likely to earn a substantial profit on their investment in us upon disposition of its Class A ordinary shares even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares declines after we complete our initial business combination even if the value of the public shares declines significantly. Our initial shareholders may therefore be economically incentivized to complete an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our initial shareholders had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution 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 ordinary shares.
A market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
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.
Our warrants are accounted for as a warrant liability and are recorded at fair value with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
We currently have 22,250,000 warrants outstanding. We account for these warrants as a warrant liability, which means that we record them at fair value with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from an independent third party valuation firm. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities, including as a result of increased volatility in our earnings due to fluctuations in the value of the warrants as well as increased costs associated with obtaining such valuations. In addition, potential targets may seek a business combination partner that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
General Risk Factors
We are a blank check 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 blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination. 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.
36
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of December 31, 2021, we had $750,562 cash and working capital of $813,657. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans to address this need for capital are discussed under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report. The financial statements contained in this Annual Report do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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 internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30th, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30th. 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.
37
Provisions in our memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands 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 ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our memorandum and articles of association contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders 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 preference shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Provisions in our memorandum and articles of association and Cayman Islands law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our memorandum and articles of association provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We purchased 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.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
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 valuations of business combination targets and 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.
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 seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and 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 target 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.
38
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data.
As an early-stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders’ derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by our Cayman Islands legal counsel that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely: (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities law of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy or the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
Proposals by the Biden administration could lead to changes in tax laws that could negatively impact our effective tax rate and subject our shareholders to negative tax consequences.
The Biden administration has proposed increases, among other things, to the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28%, and to the top tax rate on capital gains. If any of these (or similar) proposals are ultimately enacted into law, in whole or in part, they could have a negative impact to our effective tax rate and subject our shareholders to negative tax consequences. We cannot predict the likelihood, timing or substance of U.S. tax reform and will continue to monitor the progress of U.S. tax reform, as well as other global tax reform initiatives.
39
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties.
We do not own any real estate or other physical properties materially important to our operation. We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 400 Continental Blvd, Suite 600, El Segundo, CA 90245 and our telephone number is 310-426-2055. Our executive offices are provided to us by our sponsor. We have agreed to pay our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
To the knowledge of our management, there is no litigation currently pending against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such or against any of our property.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
40
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Market Information
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are each traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “USCTU,” “USCT” and “USCTW,” respectively. Our units commenced public trading on October 27, 2021, and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants commenced separate public trading on December 17, 2021.
Holders
On March 11, 2022, there was one holder of record of our units, one holder of record of our Class A ordinary shares, five holders of record of our Class B ordinary shares and two holders of record of our warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid or declared any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of the board of directors at such time. Our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
None.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
None.
Use of Proceeds
On October 29, 2021, the Company consummated its initial public offering of 23,000,000 units, including the issuance of 3,000,000 Units as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full. Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share, and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company, with each warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $230,000,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, the Company completed the private sale of an aggregate of 10,750,000 warrants to its sponsor, TKB Sponsor, LLC, at a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $10,750,000.
A total of $234,600,000 of the proceeds from the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants were placed in a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in the initial public offering, see Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report.
Item 6. [Reserved].
41
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis of TKB’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements, including the related notes, contained in this Annual Report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described in “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands 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 Annual Report as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, we currently intend to concentrate our efforts in identifying businesses that provide critical technologies in the industrial base supply chain recognized by the United States Government to maintain technological leadership, national security, and supply chain independence. Such vital technologies include, but are not limited to, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, automation, data security, energy storage and power management, financial technology (payment solution), industrial software, internet of things (“IoT”), microelectronics, robotics, and wireless communications equipment.
The issuance of additional shares in connection with a business combination to the owners of the target or other investors, including pursuant to the forward purchase agreements:
| ● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in our initial public offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares; |
| ● | may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares; |
| ● | could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
| ● | may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and |
| ● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. |
Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, 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; |
42
| ● | our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares; |
| ● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares 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. |
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.
Results of Operations
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 our initial public offering. We will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents. Our expenses have increased substantially after the closing of our initial public offering as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses.
For the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, the Company had net income of $8,644,188. Net income is comprised primarily of a decrease in the fair value of the warrant liability of $10,457,500 and unrealized gains and interest income of $3,950 on marketable securities held in the trust account, offset by formation costs of $1,486,610, legal and accounting services of $163,471, insurance expense of $72,192, dues and subscriptions of $35,732, administrative fees – investor relations of $20,000, rent expense of $20,740, general business and office expense of $9,623, travel expense of $6,655, advertising and marketing expense of $2,177, and $62 of business meetings expense.
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Going Concern
Until the consummation of the initial public offering, our only source of liquidity was an initial purchase of founder shares by our sponsor, TKB Sponsor, LLC, for $25,000 and a $300,000 loan from our sponsor which has been repaid in full as of December 31, 2021.
On October 29, 2021, we consummated the initial public offering of 23,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, which included the full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 3,000,000 units, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, the Company completed the private sale of an aggregate of 10,750,000 warrants to our sponsor at a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $10,750,000.
A total of $234,600,000 of the proceeds from the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants were placed in a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
Transaction costs of the initial public offering amounted to $21,140,059, consisting of $3,850,000 of underwriting discount, $8,800,000 of deferred underwriting discount, $7,748,431 excess fair value of founder shares and $741,628 of actual offering costs. Of these amounts, $19,774,814 was recorded to additional paid-in capital and $1,365,245 costs related to the warrant liability was expensed immediately using the residual allocation method.
43
For the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, net cash used in operating activities was $837,851. Net earnings of $8,644,188 was adjusted by gains of $3,752 interest earned on marketable securities held in trust, $198 unrealized gain on marketable securities held in trust, and $10,457,500 change in fair value of warrant liability, and $385,834 changes in operating assets and liabilities offset by $1,365,245 expense allocation of deferred offering costs for warrant liabilities.
As of December 31, 2021, we had marketable securities held in the trust account of $234,603,942 (including approximately $3,942 of interest income and unrealized gains) consisting of securities held in a money market fund that invests in U.S. Treasury securities with a maturity of 185 days or less.
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $750,562 held outside the trust account. We intend to use the funds held outside the trust account primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.
We may need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination. We expect to incur significant costs related to identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year from the date that the financial statements are issued. 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 would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2021. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt obligations, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations, purchase obligations or other long-term liabilities, other than described below.
We have an agreement to pay our sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office space, utilities and administrative support. We began incurring these fees on October 29, 2021 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of the Business Combination and our liquidation.
The underwriters of the initial public offering are entitled to a deferred fee $8,800,000. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the trust account solely in the event that we complete our initial business combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
44
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. Significant estimates include the fair value of warrant liabilities which requires a Black-Scholes model to fair value the warrants. We have identified the following critical accounting policies:
Warrant Liabilities
We account for the warrants underlying the Public Units and the warrants sold in the Private Placement (the “Private Warrants”) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815 under which the Public Warrants and the Private Warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment and must be recorded as liabilities. Under ASC 815-40, the Public Warrants and the Private Warrants are not indexed to our ordinary shares in the manner contemplated by ASC 815-40 because the holder of the instrument is not an input into the pricing of a fixed-for-fixed option on equity shares. Accordingly, we classify the Public Warrants and the Private Warrants as liabilities at their fair value and adjust the Public Warrants and the Private Warrants to fair value at each reporting period. These liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations. The Public Warrants and the Private Warrants are valued using a Black-Scholes model.
Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our Class A ordinary shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption is presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of our balance sheet.
We recognize changes in redemption value at the end of each reporting period and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Immediately upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount value. The change in the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit. On October 29, 2021, the Company recorded an accretion of $35,299,793, $7,612,755 of which was recorded in additional paid-in capital and $27,687,038 was recorded in accumulated deficit.
Net Income (Loss) Per Ordinary Share
Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2021, which are not currently redeemable and are not redeemable at fair value, have been excluded from the calculation of basic net loss per ordinary share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the trust account earnings. The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the initial public offering and the private placement to purchase an aggregate of 10,750,000 private warrants in the calculation of diluted loss per share, since the exercise of the warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive. As a result, diluted net loss per ordinary share is the same as basic net loss per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The Company’s statement of operations includes a presentation of net earnings (loss) per ordinary share subject to possible redemption and allocates the net income (loss) into the two classes of shares in calculating net earnings (loss) per ordinary share, basic and diluted. For redeemable Class A ordinary shares, net earnings (loss) per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption outstanding since original issuance. For non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares, net earnings (loss) per share is calculated by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of nonredeemable Class B ordinary shares outstanding for the period. Non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares include the founder shares as these shares do not have any redemption features and do not participate in the income earned on the trust account.
45
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We are currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
Our financial statements and notes thereto begin on page F-1.
Item 9. Changes and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.
None.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial and accounting officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our co-principal executive officers and principal financial and accounting officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Based on this evaluation, our co-principal executive officers and principal financial and accounting officer have concluded that during the period covered by this Annual Report our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to a material weakness in our internal controls over financial reporting.
Our internal control over financial reporting did not result in the proper accounting measurement of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption as of October 29, 2021, whereby we measured the shares at the issuance price rather than the redemption price, which, due to its impact on our financial statements, we determined to be a material weakness.
46
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the year ended December 31, 2021 covered by this Annual Report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting, with the exception noted below.
The co-principal executive officers and principal financial and accounting officer performed additional post-closing review procedures including reviewing historical filings and consulting with subject matter experts related to the accounting for complex financial instruments. The Company’s management has also retained an additional consultant to provide additional review and subject matter expertise. The Company’s management has expended, and will continue to expend, a substantial amount of effort and resources for the remediation and improvement of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes to properly identify and evaluate the appropriate accounting technical pronouncements and other literature for all significant or unusual transactions, we have improved, and will continue to improve, these processes to ensure that the nuances of such transactions are effectively evaluated in the context of the increasingly complex accounting standards.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
This Annual Report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Item 9B. Other Information
None.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
47
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
Officers and Directors
| Name | Age | Position | ||
| Angela Blatteis | 61 | Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Director | ||
| Greg Klein | 55 | Co-Chief Executive Officer, Director | ||
| Philippe Tartavull | 64 | Executive Chairman | ||
| Frank Levinson | 68 | Director | ||
| Michael Herson | 56 | Director | ||
| Ryan O’Hara | 53 | Director | ||
| William Zerella | 65 | Director |
Angela Blatteis serves as our Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Angela has over 30 years of experience in private equity and investment banking. She has served as a Managing Partner of TKB Capital since 2019. Prior to TKB Capital, Angela served as Co-Founder, CEO, and CFO of Soupure from 2014 to 2019, a startup food company that distributed soup to consumers and businesses. From 1996 to 2015, Angela served as Managing Director (1996-2012) and Ambassador (2012-2015) of The Gores Group (“Gores”), a global investment firm. During her time at Gores, Angela led several high-profile acquisitions and divestitures, including the Verifone transaction in which Gores sold Verifone to GTCR LLC, a private equity firm, and then Gores and GTCR took Verifone public (NYSE: VFI). She was also actively involved in taking Anker Systems (AIM: ANK) public through the London Alternative Investment Market. While at Gores, Angela also co-headed Global Equity Capital, a Gores-related entity, in which she completed highly successful transactions, including Sound Design Technologies, Scovill Fasteners, the take-private transaction of The Clark Group (AMEX: GLA), and the take-private transaction and subsequent merger of Halifax Corporation (OTPCK: HALX) with another enterprise logistics business that was purchased as a carve-out from Northrop Grumman. Prior to Gores, Angela worked in investment banking focusing on mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies, and risk arbitrage at First Boston and Cowen & Company from 1987 to 1991. She served on the board of directors at Interlink Electronics (NASDAQ:LINK) (2013-2020) and Hyperspace (2005-2006). Angela has also served on the Advisory Council to the Dean for the University of Chicago — Booth School of Business since 2012, is currently a council member for GLG Associates, and was previously on the Advisory Board of First Foundation’s Los Angeles based private bank. She earned an M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Chicago — Booth School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Angela was selected to serve on our board due to her extensive experience with acquisitions and divestitures of both public and private companies.
Greg Klein serves as our Co-Chief Executive Officer. Greg is a serial entrepreneur with over 35 years of deep operational experience building scalable and sustainable companies in the industrials, software, engineering services, supply chain, payments, and marketing services sectors. Greg co-founded TKB Capital in 2017 and has been a Managing Partner since then. From 2000 to 2017, he founded and led KleinPartners Capital Corporation, a middle-market investment firm that acquired, scaled, and sold businesses with operations in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Greg has completed 30 transactions and divestitures, including EPEC LLC, in which, as Executive Chairman, the team experienced exponential sales growth, transforming EPEC LLC from a low tech regional printed circuit board manufacturing company into a global engineered products technology company. Prior to KleinPartners Capital Corporation, he founded and sold multiple companies by the age of 35, including Premiere Marketing, which was listed twice on the INC 500 Fastest Growing Companies and was originally listed at #64, when Greg was 25 years old. Greg is a co-founder and Chairman Emeritus of YPO Pacific Gold, a global leadership community of chief executives. He most recently served as Chairman of EPEC LLC (2002-2021) and is a director of multiple non-profit businesses. He earned his B.A. from the University of California at Los Angeles. Greg was chosen to serve on our board due to his experience in building and divesting companies across the technology industry.
48
Philippe Tartavull serves as our Executive Chairman. Philippe has over 35 years of experience leading public and private global technology companies in the infrastructure, industrials, payments and telecommunications, convergence of technologies, hardware, and software sectors. Since 2017, Mr. Tartavull has served as a member of the board of trustees of the American University in Paris. He co-founded TKB Capital in 2017 and has been a managing partner since then. From 2012 through 2016, Philippe served as President and CEO of Xura/Comverse, Comverse Network Systems (“Xura”), where he helped to transform Xura into a leading provider of software and systems for value-added services through a number of divestitures and acquisition. Through this process, Xura was sold to a private equity firm. Prior to Xura, he served as CEO, President, and Director of Hypercom Corporation (NYSE:HYC) (2007-2011), during which Hypercom doubled revenues though organic growth and strategic transactions with the acquisition of the European headquartered Thales POS division. Hypercom was sold to VeriFone (NYSE: VFI) in 2011. Prior to Hypercom Corporation, Philippe was the President and CEO of Oberthur Technologies USA (now called IDEMIA) from 1998 to 2007, in which he worked to significantly grow revenue and expand Oberthur into new verticals, namely security and telecommunications through organic growth and through the integration of a subsidiary of De La Rue USA. Prior to IDEMIA, Philippe served as President and CEO of Syesca USA, a Thales Company and provider of system integration and mission critical software for the transportation and utility industries, from 1988 to 1998. Philippe has served on the board of public and private companies including Composecure, which completed its merger with Roman DBDR Tech Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, in December 2021 (2015-2021); Hypercom Corporation (2007-2011); XURA/Comverse, MRV Communications (OTCQB:MRVC) (2009-2011); and Wilcox Inc. (1996-1998), which is now a part of Thales USA, Inc. He earned his M.B.A. from the Institut d’Administration des Enterprises, Sorbonne University, his M.S. in Engineering from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Pétroles et des Moteurs, and his B.S. in Engineering from SUPMECA (previously named Centre d’Etudes Supérieures des Techniques Industrielles). Philippe was selected to serve on our board due to his extensive experience with both public and private technology companies.
Frank Levinson serves on our board of directors. Frank is an active venture investor, seasoned entrepreneur, and inventor on over 50 patents, with experience in fiber optic components, communication networks, optical sensing, and various areas of “clean tech”. Since 2010, Frank has served as general partner and been an active investor with Phoenix Venture Partners (“PVP”), an investment firm that focuses on material science and photonic innovation companies. Frank also serves as the Managing Director of Small World Group Ventures LLC. Prior to PVP, Frank co-founded and served as CTO and Chairman of Finisar Corporation (NASDAQ:FNSR), an optical communications component company, from 1988 to 2008 and led the company from self-funding to its IPO in 1999. Finisar was acquired by II-IV Incorporated in 2019. His other previous roles include Optical Systems Manager of Ericsson Raynet (1985-1988) and Technical Staff Member of Bell Labs (1980-1984). Frank’s previous and current board experience include Fabrinet (NYSE:FN) (2001-present), Sentinel Monitor Systems (2015-present), Rapsodo (2015-present), Vixar (2006-2018), and Interlink Electronics (NASDAQ:LINK) (2014-2020). He earned a Ph.D and M.A in Astronomy from the University of Virginia and a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics from Butler University. Frank was chosen to serve on our board due to his vast experience with both public and private technology companies.
Michael Herson serves on our board of directors. Since 1995, Michael has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of American Defense International, Inc., which is a Washington-D.C. based defense government affairs firm providing lobbying, business development, and strategic consulting to over 80 clients in the United States and overseas. He has been quoted as a political and defense expert in many national and Washington publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Businessweek, Investor’s Business Daily, The Huffington Post, Politico, The Hill, and Roll Call and has been interviewed on National Public Radio, XM Talk Radio 168. He is also a regular guest on the Defense & Aerospace Report podcast. Defense News has recognized him as one of the Top 100 influential people in U.S. Defense and The Hill newspaper named him as one of the top lobbyists in Washington. Michael has also served as a member of the board of directors of the Bronx Freedom Fund from 2013 to 2020. Michael earned a B.A. in American Government from Georgetown University, a J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law, and a M.S. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. He also serves on the board of many national security and defense-related organizations as well as charitable organizations and was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service in 1993. Michael was chosen to serve on our board due to his considerable experience in the defense industry.
Ryan O’Hara serves on our board of directors. Ryan has extensive leadership and general management experience across a range of technology, internet, e-commerce, media, entertainment, sports, and consumer product companies, including serving as CEO for three companies: Shutterfly (2019), Realtor.com (2015-2019), and Topps Company (2010-2013). Ryan has a deep understanding of product, content, corporate development, business operations and strategy, M&A, advertising sales, packaged goods, and profit and loss management. Ryan is currently a board member at Offerpad Solutions Inc. (NYSE: OPAD) (2021-present), Thryv Holdings (NASDAQ:THRY) (2020-present) and Stanford Longevity Center (2020-present). Previously, Ryan held public company board seats at REA (ASX: REA) (2017-2019) and Shutterfly (NASDAQ: SFLY) (2019), and was also a private board observer at Matterport (2017-2019). Ryan holds a Directors Certificate from Harvard Business School. He earned an M.B.A in Business Administration and General Management from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics at Stanford University where he was a member of the NCAA runner-up Men’s Volleyball Team. Ryan was chosen to serve on our board due to his management experience in the technology sector.
49
William Zerella serves on our board of directors. William is an accomplished financial executive and business operator with over 20 years of experience building and scaling companies through an IPO, including leading three companies through a public listing. He currently serves as CFO of ACV Auctions (NASDAQ: ACVA), a vehicle dealer auction technology platform, and previously served as CFO for Luminar Technologies (NASDAQ:LAZR) (2018-2020), FitBit (NYSE:FIT) (2014-2018), Vocera Communications (NYSE:VCRA) (2011-2014), Force10 Networks (acquired by Dell) (2006-2011), and Infinera Corporation (NASDAQ: INFN) (2004-2006). He has served as on the board of directors for GroundTruth (2016-2021) and Chaserg Technology Acquisition Corporation (2018-2020). He earned an M.B.A. in Finance from New York University — Stern School of Business and a B.S. in Accounting from New York Institute of Technology. William was selected to serve on our board due to his experience serving as CFO on numerous publicly-traded entities.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of seven members and is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Frank Levinson and Ryan O’Hara, will expire at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Michael Herson and William Zerella, will expire at the second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Angela Blatteis, Greg Klein and Philippe Tartavull, will expire at the third annual general meeting.
Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares. 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.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Each of our audit committee and our compensation committee is composed solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 under 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 of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that has been approved by our board and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on our website.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. William Zerella, Michael Herson and Frank Levinson serve as members of our audit committee, and William Zerella chairs the audit committee. All members of our audit committee are independent of and unaffiliated with our sponsor.
Our board of directors has determined that each member of the audit committee is financially literate and that William Zerella qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
| ● | assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent registered public accounting firm; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
| ● | pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
50
| ● | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
| ● | meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
| ● | reviewing with management, the independent, 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
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Frank Levinson, Ryan O’Hara, and William Zerella serve as members of our compensation committee, and Frank Levinson chairs the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
| ● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation; |
| ● | reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers; |
| ● | reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
| ● | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
| ● | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
| ● | 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. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than the payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
51
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a nominating and corporate governance as and when required to so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(2) of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by our board of directors. Our board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Ryan O’Hara, Michael Herson, Frank Levinson and William Zerella. In accordance with Rule 5605(e)(1)(A) of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
The board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by our shareholders during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at the next annual general meeting (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting). Our shareholders that wish to nominate a director for election to our board of directors should follow the procedures set forth in our bylaws.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, our board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders.
Advisors to the Board of Directors
We formed an advisory board comprised of four members, which appointments took effect upon the closing of our initial public offering. Such individuals assist our management team with sourcing and evaluating business opportunities and devising plans and strategies to optimize any business that we acquire. The advisors are neither paid nor reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses in connection with the search of acquisition targets before or after the consummation of our initial business combination. We have not currently entered into any formal arrangements or agreements with the members of our advisory board to provide services to us and they will have no fiduciary obligations to present business opportunities to us.
Availability of Documents
We filed a copy of our form of Code of Ethics, our audit committee charter and our compensation committee charter as exhibits to the registration statement filed in connection with our initial public offering. You may also review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us.
If we make any amendments to our Code of Ethics other than technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the Code of Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions requiring disclosure under applicable SEC or Nasdaq rules, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website. The information included on our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
52
Item 11. Executive Compensation.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities were first listed on Nasdaq through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we pay, and will continue to pay, an affiliate of our sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team. In addition, our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no cash compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination. Our directors have each received interests in our sponsor representing an indirect interest in 25,000 founder shares as compensation for their service.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our executive officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more executive officers serving on our board of directors.
53
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of March 11, 2022 based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of ordinary shares, by:
| ● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
| ● | each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns ordinary shares; and |
| ● | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares (which includes Class A ordinary shares that are underlying the units) and 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding as of March 11, 2022. The Class B ordinary shares will be convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment) concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination. The table below does not include the Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants held by our sponsor because these securities are not exercisable within 60 days of this Annual Report. Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them.
| Class A Ordinary Shares |
Class B Ordinary Shares |
|||||||||||||||
| Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned | % of Class | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | % of Class | ||||||||||||
| TKB Sponsor I, LLC (our sponsor)(3) | — | — | 5,650,000 | 98.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Saba Capital Management, L.P.(4) | 1,624,507 | 7.1 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| Beryl Capital Management LLC(5) | 1,998,898 | 8.7 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| Atalaya Capital Management LP (6)(7) | 1,900,000 | 8.3 | % | — | — | |||||||||||
| Angela Blatteis(3) | — | — | 5,650,000 | 98.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Greg Klein(3) | — | — | 5,650,000 | 98.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Philippe Tartavull(3) | — | — | 5,650,000 | 98.3 | % | |||||||||||
| Frank Levinson(7) | — | — | 25,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| Michael Herson(7) | — | — | 25,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| Ryan O’Hara(7) | — | — | 25,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| William Zerella(7) | — | — | 25,000 | * | ||||||||||||
| All officers and directors as a group (7 individuals) | — | — | 5,750,000 | 100 | % | |||||||||||
| * | Less than one percent. |
| (1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following is 400 Continental Blvd, Suite 600, El Segundo, CA 90245. |
| (2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.” |
| (3) | TKB Sponsor I, LLC is the record holder of the shares reported herein. Each of Ms. Blatteis, Mr. Klein and Mr. Tartavull own interests in TKB Sponsor I, LLC and are managers of TKB Sponsor I, LLC, and may be deemed to share beneficial ownership of such shares. Each of Ms. Blatteis, Mr. Klein and Mr. Tartavull disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
| (4) | Shares beneficially owned are based on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022 by Saba Capital Management, L.P. (“Saba Capital”), Saba Capital Management GP, LLC (“Saba GP”) and Mr. Boaz R. Weinstein. Each of Saba Capital, Saba GP and Mr. Weinstein has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,624,507 Class A ordinary shares. The business address of each of Saba Capital, Saba GP and Mr. Weinstein, as reported in the Schedule 13G/A, is 405 Lexington Avenue, 58th Floor, New York, New York 10174. |
54
| (5) | Shares beneficially owned are based on the Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 11, 2022 by Beryl Capital Management LLC (“Beryl”), Beryl Capital Management LP (“Beryl GP”), Beryl Capital Partners II LP (the “Partnership”) and David A. Witkin. Each of Beryl, Beryl GP and Mr. Witkin has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,998,898 Class A ordinary shares, and the Partnership has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 1,688,106 shares. The business address of each of Beryl, Beryl GP, the Partnership and Mr. Witkin, as reported in the Schedule 13G/A, is 1611 S. Catalina Ave., Suite 309, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. |
| (6) | Shares beneficially owned are based on the Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on November 2, 2021 by Atalaya Special Purpose Investment Fund II LP (“ASPIF II”), ACM ASOF VII (Cayman) Holdco LP (“ASOF”), ACM Alameda Special Purpose Investment Fund II LP (“Alameda”) and Atalaya Capital Management LP (“ACM”). Each of ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda and ACM has shared voting and dispositive power with respect to 458,850 Class A ordinary shares, 633,270 Class A ordinary shares, 807,880 Class A ordinary shares and 1,900,000 Class A ordinary shares, respectively. The Class A ordinary shares are directly held by ASPIF II, ASOF and Alameda (the “Direct Holders”). As the investment manager of each of the Direct Holders, ACM has the power to vote and direct the disposition of all Class A ordinary shares held by the Direct Holders. The business address of each of ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda and ACM, as reported in the Schedule 13G, is One Rockefeller Plaza, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10020. |
| (7) | Excludes ordinary shares in which such person has an indirect interest through our sponsor as to which such person does not have beneficial ownership. |
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
None.
Changes in Control
None.
55
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions
Founder Shares
On April 29, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to purchase 5,750,000 founder shares, or approximately $0.004 per share. On May 11, 2021, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors. The number of founder shares outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units and therefore such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after our initial public offering.
Private Placement Warrants
Our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,750,000 warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $10,750,000, in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of the public offering. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
Administrative Support Agreement
We currently utilize office space at 400 Continental Blvd, Suite 600, El Segundo, CA 90245 from our sponsor. We pay an affiliate of our sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates.
Related Party Notes and Advances
Our sponsor entered into an agreement with us to loan us funds up to $300,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of the public offering. These loans were non-interest bearing, unsecured and were paid in full at the closing of the public offering.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Any of the foregoing payments to our sponsor, repayments of loans from our sponsor or repayments of working capital loans prior to our initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
56
Registration Rights
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants, warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and forward purchase securities that may be issued pursuant to the forward purchase agreements (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants, forward purchase warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares).
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors adopted a policy setting forth the policies and procedures for its review and approval or ratification of “related party transactions.” A “related party transaction” is any consummated or proposed transaction or series of transactions: (i) in which the company was or is to be a participant; (ii) the amount of which exceeds (or is reasonably expected to exceed) the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the company’s total assets at year-end for the prior two completed fiscal years in the aggregate over the duration of the transaction (without regard to profit or loss); and (iii) in which a “related party” had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related parties” under this policy include: (i) our directors, nominees for director or executive officers; (ii) any record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any Class of our voting securities; (iii) any immediate family member of any of the foregoing if the foregoing person is a natural person; and (iv) any other person who maybe a “related person” pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the policy, the audit committee will consider (i) the relevant facts and circumstances of each related party transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party, (ii) the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction, (iii) whether the transaction contravenes our code of ethics or other policies, (iv) whether the audit committee believes the relationship underlying the transaction to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders and (v) the effect that the transaction may have on a director’s status as an independent member of the board and on his or her eligibility to serve on the board’s committees. Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy does not permit any director or executive officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that Messrs. Levinson, Herson, O’Hara and Zerella are “independent directors” as defined in Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
57
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum LLP, or Marcum, for services rendered.
Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by Marcum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Marcum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our periodic reports for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 totaled $50,470. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Marcum for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Tax Fees. We did not pay Marcum for tax planning and tax advice for the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
All Other Fees. We did not pay Marcum for other services for the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
58
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
| (1) | Financial Statements |
| (2) | Financial Statement Schedules |
All financial statements are omitted because they are not applicable or the amounts are immaterial and not required, or the required information is presented in the financial statements and notes thereto in this Item 15 of Part IV below.
| (3) | Exhibits |
We hereby file as part of this report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Copies of such material can be obtained on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
Not applicable.
59
TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of
TKB Critical Technologies 1
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of TKB Critical Technologies 1 (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from April 20, 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 April 20, 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 to the financial statements, the Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. The Company may not be able to obtain additional financing and cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum llp
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
New York,
March 11, 2022
F-2
TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1
BALANCE SHEET
DECEMBER 31, 2021
| ASSETS | ||||
| Current assets | ||||
| Cash | $ | |||
| Prepaid expenses – current | ||||
| Total Current Assets | ||||
| Non-current assets | ||||
| Marketable securities held in Trust Account | ||||
| Prepaid expenses – non-current | ||||
| Total Non-current Assets | ||||
| Total Assets | $ | |||
| LIABILITIES, CLASS A SHARES SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | ||||
| Current liabilities | ||||
| Accounts payable | $ | |||
| Accrued expenses | ||||
| Accrued offering costs | ||||
| Total Current Liabilities | ||||
| Non-Current liabilities | ||||
| Warrant Liability | ||||
| Deferred underwriter fee payable | ||||
| Total Non-current Liabilities | ||||
| Total Liabilities | ||||
| Commitments and Contingencies (Note 8) | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption; $ par value; shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding at redemption value of $ per share | ||||
| Shareholders’ Deficit | ||||
| Preference shares, $ par value; shares authorized; issued and outstanding | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares, $ par value, shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding (excluding shares subject to possible redemption) | ||||
| Class B ordinary shares, $ par value, shares authorized; shares issued and outstanding | ||||
| Additional paid-in capital | ||||
| Accumulated deficit | ( |
) | ||
| Total Shareholders’ Deficit | ( |
) | ||
| TOTAL LIABILITIES, CLASS A SHARES SUBJECT TO POSSIBLE REDEMPTION AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-3
TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 20, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
| Formation and operating costs | $ | |||
| Loss from operations | ( |
) | ||
| Other income (expense): | ||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | ||||
| Interest income on marketable securities held in Trust Account | ||||
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities held in Trust Account | ||||
| Other expense, net | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A ordinary shares | ||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share, Class A ordinary shares | $ | |||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class B ordinary shares | ||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share, Class B ordinary shares | $ |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-4
TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 20, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
| Class
A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption |
Class B Ordinary Shares |
Additional Paid-in |
Accumulated | Total Shareholders’ |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Deficit | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance – April 20, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Issuance of Class A ordinary shares | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deemed capital contribution from sale of private placement warrants | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Excess fair value of anchor investor shares | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accretion of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption | — | — | ( |
) | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Payments by Sponsor in excess of promissory note | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Balance – December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | $ | ( |
) | $ | ( |
) | |||||||||||||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-5
TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 20, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021
| Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||
| Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account | ( |
) | ||
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities held in Trust Account | ( |
) | ||
| Allocation of deferred offering cost for warrant liability | ||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | ( |
) | ||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||
| Prepaid expenses | ( |
) | ||
| Accounts payable | ||||
| Accrued expenses | ||||
| Accrued offering costs | ||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | ( |
) | ||
| Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | ||||
| Investment of cash in Trust Account | ( |
) | ||
| Net cash used in investing activities | ( |
) | ||
| Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||
| Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor | ||||
| Proceeds from sale of Units | ||||
| Payment of underwriting fee | ( |
) | ||
| Proceeds from sale of Private Warrants | ||||
| Proceeds from promissory note – related party | ||||
| Repayment of promissory note – related party | ( |
) | ||
| Deferred offering costs from initial public offering | ( |
) | ||
| Payments by Sponsor in excess of promissory note – related party | ||||
| Other | ||||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | ||||
| Net Change in Cash | ||||
| Cash – Beginning | ||||
| Cash – Ending | $ | |||
| Non-Cash Investing and Financing Activities: | ||||
| Initial classification of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | |||
| Accretion of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | |||
| Initial measurement of public warrants and private placement warrants | $ | |||
| Deferred underwriting fee payable | $ | |||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-6
TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS BACKGROUND
TKB Critical Technologies 1 (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 20, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into 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 geographic location 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 April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and its initial public offering (the “IPO”), 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 has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The registration statement for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on October 26, 2021 (the “Effective Date”). On October 29, 2021, the Company consummated the IPO of units (the “Units”), including Units that were issued pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at $ per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $
Transaction costs of the IPO amounted to $
Following the closing of the IPO on October 29, 2021, $
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. 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 operating businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the Company’s signing a definitive agreement in connection with its initial 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 an interest in the target business or assets sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
F-7
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) 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 general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The public shareholder will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account ($10.20 per Public Share initially, 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 and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of the Business Combination. The per-share amount to be distributed to public shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 8). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.
The Company will only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $
Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks shareholder 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 shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company provides that only Public Shares and not any Founder Shares are entitled to redemption rights. In addition, the Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its 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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
F-8
The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriter has agreed to waive it right to its deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($).
The Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered (other than its independent registered public accounting firm) 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 (1) $10.20 per Public Share or (2) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay franchise and income taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and will not apply as to any claims under the Company’s 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 endeavouring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and 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.
Liquidity and Going Concern
As
of December 31, 2021, the Company had $
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
F-9
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statement with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statement in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statement 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 statement, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. One of the more significant accounting estimates included in these financial statements is the determination of the fair value of the warrant liabilities. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had $
Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account
Following the closing of the IPO on October 29, 2021, an amount of $
F-10
Offering Costs Associated with IPO
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A— “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the IPO. Offering costs are charged to shareholder’s equity or the statement of operations based on the relative value of the Public Warrants (as defined below) and the Private Placement Warrants to the proceeds received from the Units sold upon the completion of the IPO. Accordingly, on October 29, 2021, offering costs totaling $
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement” (“ASC 820”), approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
Warrant Liabilities
The Company accounts for the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants exercisable for the Company’s ordinary shares that are not indexed to its own shares as liabilities at fair value on the balance sheet. The Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date and any change in fair value is recognized as a component of other income (expense), net on the statement of operations. The Company will continue to adjust the liability for changes in fair value until the earlier of the exercise or expiration of the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants. At that time, the portion of the warrant liability related to the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants will be reclassified to additional paid-in capital.
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.
F-11
The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value at the end of each reporting period and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Such changes are reflected in additional paid-in capital, or in the absence of additional capital, in accumulated deficit. On October 29, 2021, the Company recorded an accretion of $, $
As of December 31, 2021, the Class A ordinary shares, classified as temporary equity in the balance sheet, are reconciled in the following table:
| Gross proceeds from initial public offering | $ | |||
| Less: | ||||
| Proceeds allocated to public warrants | ( |
) | ||
| Offering costs allocated to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ( |
) | ||
| Plus: | ||||
| Re-measurement on Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption amount | ||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, December 31, 2021 | $ |
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). 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.
FASB 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
The Company is considered an exempted Cayman Islands company and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
F-12
Net income per ordinary share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2021, which are not currently redeemable and are not redeemable at fair value, have been excluded from the calculation of basic net income per ordinary share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the Trust Account income. The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering and the private placement to purchase an aggregate of Private Warrants in the calculation of diluted income per share, since the exercise of the warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive. As a result, diluted net income per ordinary share is the same as basic net income per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The Company’s statement of operations includes a presentation of net income per ordinary share subject to possible redemption and allocates the net income into the two classes of stock in calculating net income per ordinary share, basic and diluted. For redeemable Class A ordinary shares, net income per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption outstanding since original issuance. For non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares, net income per share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares outstanding for the period. Non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares include the Founder Shares. As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the income of the Company. As a result, diluted net income per ordinary share is the same as basic net income per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share (in dollars, except per share amounts):
| For the Period from April 20, 2021 (Inception) Through December 31, 2021 |
||||
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ||||
| Numerator: Income attributable to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Net income attributable to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | |||
| Denominator: Weighted average Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | ||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | |||
| Non-Redeemable Class B ordinary shares | ||||
| Numerator: Net income | ||||
| Net income | $ | |||
| Non-redeemable net income | $ | |||
| Denominator: Weighted average non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares | ||||
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares | ||||
| Basic and diluted net income per share, non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares | $ | |||
F-13
Related Parties
Parties, which can be a corporation or individual, are considered to be related if the Company has the ability, directly or indirectly, to control the other party or exercise significant influence over the other party in making financial and operational decisions. Companies are also considered to be related if they are subject to common control or common significant influence.
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 $
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
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 Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
In connection with the Company’s IPO, on October 29, 2021, the Company sold Units at a price of $ per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share (“Public Shares”) and one-half of one warrant (“Public Warrants”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $
An aggregate of $ per Unit sold in the IPO was held in the Trust Account and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company. As of October 29, 2021, $
Transaction costs as of the IPO date amounted to $
NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of
F-14
NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
In April 2021, the Sponsor purchased shares of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $
The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier 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 ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share 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, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
On October 8, 2021, the Sponsor entered into agreements with certain funds managed by Apollo Capital Management, L.P. (collectively, “Apollo”), certain funds managements by Atalaya Capital Management, LP (“Atalaya”) and Meteora Capital Partners, L.P. and funds affiliated with Meteora Capital Partners, L.P. (collectively “Meteora) (individually and collectively, the “anchor investors”). Each of the anchor investors purchased 9.9% of the Units in the IPO (excluding Units issued in connection with the exercise of the over-allotment option). Each of Apollo and Atalaya agreed to purchase interests in the Sponsor representing approximately 7% of the Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants at approximately the cost of such securities to the Sponsor, with the Sponsor’s obligation to sell some or all of such interests conditioned upon such anchor investor’s purchase of the Units.
Meteora entered into a separate agreement with the Sponsor pursuant to which it agreed to purchase interests in the Sponsor representing approximately 6.4% of the Founder Shares for approximately 3.7% of the cost of the Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor.
The anchor investors acquired from the Sponsor an indirect economic interest in an aggregate of Founder Shares at the original purchase price that the Sponsor paid for the Founder Shares. The Sponsor has agreed to distribute the Founder Shares to the anchor investors after the completion of a Business Combination. The Company estimates the aggregate fair value of the Founder Shares attributable to the anchor investors to be approximately $
The excess of the fair value of the Founder Shares was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A. Accordingly, the offering cost was allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the IPO based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities were expensed as incurred in the statement of operations. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares were charged to shareholder’s deficit upon the completion of the IPO.
Forward Purchase Agreements
The Company entered into separate forward purchase agreements (the “Forward Purchase Agreements”) with Apollo and Atalaya (“the “Forward Purchasers”) on August 13, 2021, and August 4, 2021, respectively. The forward purchase shares and forward purchase warrants will be identical to the Class A ordinary shares and Public Warrants included in the Units sold in the IPO. Each Forward Purchaser’s commitment under its Forward Purchase Agreement is subject to certain conditions including investment committee approval.
F-15
Promissory Note — Related Party
In April 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company has entered into an agreement with Tartavull Klein Blatteis Capital, LLC (“TKB Capital”), an affiliate of the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company will pay TKB Capital a total of $
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, certain of the Company’s officers, directors or any of their affiliates 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.
NOTE 6. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue preference shares with a par value of $ per share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At December 31, 2021, there were preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $ per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2021, there were Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, subject to redemption.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $ per share. At December 31, 2021, there were Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding..
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders and holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders except as required by law; provided that only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to or in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of a Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the IPO and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of the IPO plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any forward purchase securities, any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any private placement warrants issued to the Sponsor upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one to one.
F-16
NOTE 7. WARRANTS
The Company accounts for the
Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless holders purchase at least two Units, they will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Public Warrant will be exercisable, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a Public Warrant unless the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such Public Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Public Warrants.
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, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement filed in connection with its initial public offering or a new registration statement covering registration under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the Public Warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if the Class A ordinary shares is at the time of any exercise of a Public Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, 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 it will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary share issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of a Business Combination, Public Warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but the Company will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $
Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $ |
| ● | 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 the Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, it may exercise its redemption right even if the Company is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
F-17
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00
Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
| ● | in whole and not in part; |
| ● | at a price of $0.10 per warrant; |
| ● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares based on the redemption date and the fair market value of the Class A ordinary share; |
| ● | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted per share sub-divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, reclassifications, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending three trading days before the Company send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and |
| ● | if the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary share for any 20 trading days within a 30-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 is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the Private Placement Warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above. |
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities (excluding the forward purchase securities) for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s 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 a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates a 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, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the IPO, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants are not transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants are exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and are non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees (except for a number of Class A Ordinary Shares as described above under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”). If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
F-18
NOTE 8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and forward purchase securities that may be issued pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreements (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, forward purchase warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement that was signed on the effective date of the IPO, requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are 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 granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the IPO to purchase up to
Broker Dealer Agreement
The Company entered a broker dealer agreement on November 23, 2021, for the purposes of identifying a target company (“Target”) in connection with the initial business combination. The broker dealer (“Finder”) will identify potential Targets that have not already been identified by the Company. In the event that the Company already knows the Target, the Company will inform the Finder and the agreement will be terminated. However, the Company may enter into another agreement with the Finder for a known Target if the Company believes the Finder can add substantial value with respect to the pursuit of the known Target. The Finder will act exclusively for the Company with respect to all activities related to pursuit of a Target once identified. If the Company consummates an initial business combination of the Target, the Company will pay the Finder a base success fee of $
Consulting Agreements
The Company entered into eight consulting agreements through December 31, 2021. During the term of each agreement, the consultant (“Consultant”) will advise the Company concerning matters related to qualifying business combinations, including services such as valuation, diligence and general advice with respect to the business, operations and financial conditions of any such counterparty to a qualifying business combination. Upon closing of an initial business combination, the Company will pay the Consultant a base fee of $
F-19
NOTE 9. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
At December 31, 2021, the Company’s warrant liability was valued at $
The following table presents fair value information as of December 31, 2021, of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value. The Company’s warrant liability is based on a valuation model utilizing management judgment and pricing inputs from observable and unobservable markets with less volume and transaction frequency than active markets. Significant deviations from these estimates and inputs could result in a material change in fair value. The Company’s transferred the fair value of Public Warrants from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 measurement and Private Warrants from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 2 measurement during the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021:
| Public Warrants |
Private Placement Warrants |
Warrant Liability |
||||||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities at April 20, 2021 (inception) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Initial fair value at issuance of public and private placement warrants | ||||||||||||
| Change in fair value | ( |
) | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||||
| Transfer of public warrants to Level 1 measurement | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||||||
| Transfer of private warrants to Level 2 measurement | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||||||
| Level 3 derivative warrant liabilities as of December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021:
| (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | ||||||||||
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Cash and marketable securities held in trust account(1) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Public Warrants(2) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Private Placement Warrants(2) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| (1) |
| (2) |
F-20
Measurement
The Warrants are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The measurement of the Public Warrants as of December 31, 2021 is classified as Level 1 due to the use of an observable market quote in an active market under the ticker USCTW. As the transfer of Private Placement Warrants to anyone outside of a small group of individuals who are permitted transferees would result in the Private Placement Warrants having substantially the same terms as the Public Warrants, the Company determined that the fair value of each Private Placement Warrant is equivalent to that of each Public Warrant, with an insignificant adjustment for short-term marketability restrictions. As such, the Private Placement Warrants are classified as Level 2.
The Company established the initial fair value for the warrants on October 29, 2021, the date of the consummation of the Company’s IPO. The Company used a Black-Scholes model to value the warrants. The Company allocated the proceeds received from (i) the sale of Units (which is inclusive of one Class A Ordinary Share and one-half of one Public Warrant), (ii) the sale of Private Placement Warrants, and (iii) the issuance of Class B Ordinary Shares, first to the warrants based on their fair values as determined at initial measurement, with the remaining proceeds allocated to Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption (temporary equity), Class A Ordinary Shares (permanent equity) and Class B Ordinary Shares (permanent equity) based on their relative fair values at the initial measurement date.
Based on the applied volatility assumption and the expected term to a business combination noted below, the Company determined that the risk-neutral probability of exceeding the $ redemption value by the start of the exercise period for the Warrants resulted in a nominal difference in value between the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants across the valuation dates utilized in the Black-Scholes model. Therefore, the resulting valuations for the two classes of Warrants were determined to be equal. On October 29, 2021, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants was determined to be $0.95 per warrant for aggregate values of $10,925,000 and $10,212,500, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants was determined to be $0.48 per warrant for an aggregate value of $5,160,000. As of December 31, 2021, the Public Warrants had a stated market value of $0.48 per warrant for an aggregate value of $5,520,000.
The following table presents the changes in the fair value of derivative warrant liabilities from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021:
| Public Warrants |
Private Placement Warrants |
Total
Derivative Warrant Liability |
||||||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities as of April 20, 2021 (inception) | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
| Initial fair value at issuance of public and private placement warrants | ||||||||||||
| Change in fair value | ( |
) | ( |
) | ( |
) | ||||||
| Derivative warrant liabilities as of December 31, 2021 | $ | $ | $ | |||||||||
The key inputs into the Black-Scholes model formula were as follows at October 29, 2021 and December 31, 2021:
| Private Placement Warrants | ||||||||
| October 29, | December 31, | |||||||
| Input | 2021 | 2021 | ||||||
| Ordinary share price | $ | $ | ||||||
| Exercise price | $ | $ | ||||||
| Risk-free rate of interest | % | % | ||||||
| Volatility | % | % | ||||||
| Term | ||||||||
| Warrant to buy one share (unadjusted for the probability of dissolution) | $ | $ | ||||||
| Warrant to buy one share (adjusted for the probability of dissolution) | $ | $ | ||||||
| Dividend yield | % | % | ||||||
The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the linearly interpolated Treasury Constant Maturity Rate Curve between five and seven year rates, which was commensurate with the contractual term of the Warrants, which expire on the earlier of (i) six years after the completion of the initial business combination and (ii) upon redemption or liquidation. An increase in the risk-free interest rate, in isolation, would result in an increase in the fair value measurement of the warrant liabilities and vice versa.
F-21
NOTE 10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements, other than described below.
Subsequent to December 31, 2021 the Company entered into five additional consulting agreements for professional services and one additional broker dealer agreement for identifying a target for the initial business combination. The consulting agreements and broker dealer agreement have the same terms as those entered into prior to December 31, 2021. See Note 8.
F-22
EXHIBIT INDEX
| * | Filed herewith |
| ** | Furnished herewith |
| (1) | Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Form S-1, filed with the SEC on October 8, 2021. |
| (2) | Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on October 29, 2021. |
60
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| TKB CRITICAL TECHNOLOGIES 1 | ||
| Date: March 11, 2022 | By: | /s/ Angela Blatteis |
| Name: | Angela Blatteis | |
| Title: | Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | |
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints each of Greg Klein and Angela Blatteis as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments to this report, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Name | Position | Date | ||
| /s/ Angela Blatteis | Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | March 11, 2022 | ||
| Angela Blatteis | (Principal Executive Officer; Principal Financial and Accounting Officer), Director | |||
| /s/ Greg Klein | Co-Chief Executive Officer | March 11, 2022 | ||
| Greg Klein | (Principal Executive Officer), Director | |||
| /s/ Philippe Tartavull | Executive Chairman | March 11, 2022 | ||
| Philippe Tartavull | ||||
| /s/ Frank Levinson | Director | March 11, 2022 | ||
| Frank Levinson | ||||
| /s/ Michael Herson | Director | March 11, 2022 | ||
| Michael Herson | ||||
| /s/ Ryan O’Hara | Director | March 11, 2022 | ||
| Ryan O’Hara | ||||
| /s/ William Zerella | Director | March 11, 2022 | ||
| William Zerella |
61
Exhibit 4.5
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
As of December 31, 2021, TKB Critical Technologies 1 (“we,” “our,” “us” or the “Company”) had the following three classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): (i) its units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant, (ii) Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and (iii) redeemable warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50. In addition, this Description of Securities also references the Company’s Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class B ordinary shares” or “founder shares”), which are not registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act but are convertible into Class A ordinary shares. The description of the Class B ordinary shares is included to assist in the description of the Class A ordinary shares. Unless the context otherwise requires, references to our “sponsor” are to TKB Sponsor I, LLC and references to our “initial shareholders” are to the holders of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering (our “IPO”). Defined terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number 374835) and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “Companies Act”) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association, we are authorized to issue 220,000,000 ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, including 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, as well as 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. The following description summarizes certain terms of our share capital as set out more particularly in our memorandum and articles of association. Because the below is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described below. Pursuant to the warrant agreement that governs the warrants (the “warrant agreement”), a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. For example, if a warrant holder holds one-half of one warrant to purchase a Class A ordinary share, such warrant will not be exercisable. If a warrant holder holds two halves of one warrant, such whole warrant will be exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share.
The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units began separate trading on December 17, 2021. Holders have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
Ordinary Shares
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single Class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions requires a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being (i) affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholder, and pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. However, only holders of Class B ordinary shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, meaning that holders of Class A ordinary shares do not have the right to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial business combination. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. 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 any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many special purpose acquisition companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association, 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 memorandum and articles of association require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many special purpose acquisition companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we receive approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, or if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately negotiated transactions, if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice be given of any general meeting.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in 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 our IPO (“Excess Shares”) without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open-market transactions, potentially at a loss.
2
If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares they hold and any public shares purchased during or after our IPO in favor of our initial business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our IPO, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our 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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our initial shareholders have entered into agreements 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 15 months from the closing of our IPO or during any extended period of time that we may have to consummate an initial business combination as a result of an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association (“Extension Period”). However, if our initial shareholders or management team acquire public shares in or after our IPO, 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 period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each Class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units sold in our IPO, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our initial shareholders, sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares they hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares they hold in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association 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 an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our IPO or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to 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 15 months from the closing of our IPO 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 such time period, and (iii) the founder shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our memorandum and articles of association. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our IPO in favor of our initial business combination.
3
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders), including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any forward purchase securities, any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities or rights exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans, provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or saleable (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 earlier and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment 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 memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by approval of at least 90% of our Class B ordinary shares. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, 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.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there shall be entered therein:
| ■ | the names and addresses of the members of the company, a statement of the shares held by each member which: |
| ○ | distinguishes each share by its number (so long as the share has a number); |
| ○ | confirms the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member; |
| ○ | confirms the number and category of shares held by each member; and |
| ○ | confirms whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional; |
| ■ | the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and |
| ■ | the date on which any person ceased to be a member. |
4
For these purposes, “voting rights” means rights conferred on shareholders in respect of their shares to vote at general meetings of the company on all or substantially all matters. A voting right is conditional where the voting right arises only in certain circumstances.
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of our IPO, the register of members was updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members was updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members were deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Warrants
Public Shareholders’ Warrants and Forward Purchase Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement) 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. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will expire five years after the date on which they first become exercisable, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
5
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 commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement relating to our IPO or a new registration statement covering registration under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective 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 the warrant agreement. Because the warrants are not exercisable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, we do not currently intend to update the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or file a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until after the initial business combination has been consummated. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may call the warrants for redemption for cash (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 to each warrant holder; and |
| ■ | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period except if we have elected to require holders to exercise on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. In the case of such a cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” as used in the preceding sentence shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the public warrants. 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. Except as described below, none of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
We have established the last of the 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 ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments”) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
6
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00
Once warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:
| ■ | in whole and not in part; |
| ■ | at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” (as defined below) of our Class A ordinary shares except as otherwise described below; |
| ■ | if, and only if, the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and |
| ■ | if the last reported sale price of our Class A ordinary shares for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments”), the private placement warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above. |
The numbers in the table below represent the number of Class A ordinary shares that a warrant holder will receive upon exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined based on the volume-weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares as reported during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the warrants, each as set forth in the table below. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the 10-trading day period described above ends.
Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A ordinary shares shall include a security other than Class A ordinary shares into which the Class A ordinary shares have been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination. The numbers in the table below will not be adjusted when determining the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon exercise of the warrants if we are not the surviving entity following our initial business combination.
The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant or the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted as set forth under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments” below. If the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant is adjusted, the adjusted share prices in the column headings in the table below shall equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant after such adjustment. In such an event, the number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted by multiplying such share amounts by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant as so adjusted. If the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted, (a) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the fifth paragraph under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price as set forth under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments” and the denominator of which is $10.00, and (b) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the second paragraph under the heading “— Anti-dilution adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price less the decrease in the exercise price of a warrant pursuant to such exercise price adjustment.
7
| Redemption
Date (period to expiration of warrants) |
Fair Market Value of Class A Ordinary Shares | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ≤$10.00 | $11.00 | $12.00 | $13.00 | $14.00 | $15.00 | $16.00 | $17.00 | ≥$18.00 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 60 months | 0.261 | 0.281 | 0.297 | 0.311 | 0.324 | 0.337 | 0.348 | 0.358 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 57 months | 0.257 | 0.277 | 0.294 | 0.310 | 0.324 | 0.337 | 0.348 | 0.358 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 54 months | 0.252 | 0.272 | 0.291 | 0.307 | 0.322 | 0.335 | 0.347 | 0.357 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 51 months | 0.246 | 0.268 | 0.287 | 0.304 | 0.320 | 0.333 | 0.346 | 0.357 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 48 months | 0.241 | 0.263 | 0.283 | 0.301 | 0.317 | 0.332 | 0.344 | 0.356 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 45 months | 0.235 | 0.258 | 0.279 | 0.298 | 0.315 | 0.330 | 0.343 | 0.356 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 42 months | 0.228 | 0.252 | 0.274 | 0.294 | 0.312 | 0.328 | 0.342 | 0.355 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 39 months | 0.221 | 0.246 | 0.269 | 0.290 | 0.309 | 0.325 | 0.340 | 0.354 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 36 months | 0.213 | 0.239 | 0.263 | 0.285 | 0.305 | 0.323 | 0.339 | 0.353 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 33 months | 0.205 | 0.232 | 0.257 | 0.280 | 0.301 | 0.320 | 0.337 | 0.352 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 30 months | 0.196 | 0.224 | 0.250 | 0.274 | 0.297 | 0.316 | 0.335 | 0.351 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 27 months | 0.185 | 0.214 | 0.242 | 0.268 | 0.291 | 0.313 | 0.332 | 0.350 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 24 months | 0.173 | 0.204 | 0.233 | 0.260 | 0.285 | 0.308 | 0.329 | 0.348 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 21 months | 0.161 | 0.193 | 0.223 | 0.252 | 0.279 | 0.304 | 0.326 | 0.347 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 18 months | 0.146 | 0.179 | 0.211 | 0.242 | 0.271 | 0.298 | 0.322 | 0.345 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 15 months | 0.130 | 0.164 | 0.197 | 0.230 | 0.262 | 0.291 | 0.317 | 0.342 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 12 months | 0.111 | 0.146 | 0.181 | 0.216 | 0.250 | 0.282 | 0.312 | 0.339 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 9 months | 0.090 | 0.125 | 0.162 | 0.199 | 0.237 | 0.272 | 0.305 | 0.336 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 months | 0.065 | 0.099 | 0.137 | 0.178 | 0.219 | 0.259 | 0.296 | 0.331 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 3 months | 0.034 | 0.065 | 0.104 | 0.150 | 0.197 | 0.243 | 0.286 | 0.326 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 0 months | — | — | 0.042 | 0.115 | 0.179 | 0.233 | 0.281 | 0.323 | 0.361 | ||||||||||||||||||
The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued for each warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the volume-weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.277 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the volume-weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.298 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. In no event will the warrants be exercisable on a cashless basis in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any Class A ordinary shares.
8
This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of warrants for cash (other than the private placement warrants) when the trading price for the Class A ordinary shares exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding warrants to be redeemed when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at or above $10.00 per share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares is below the exercise price of the warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the warrants without the warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “— Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of the prospectus relating to our IPO. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed and we will be required to pay the applicable redemption price to warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants and pay the redemption price to the warrant holders.
As stated above, we can redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price below the exercise price of the warrants, this could result in the warrant holders receiving fewer Class A ordinary shares than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their warrants for Class A ordinary shares if and when such Class A ordinary shares were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, the Company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon exercise of the warrants.
Redemption procedures
A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (as specified by the holder) of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-dilution adjustments
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a share capitalization or share dividend payable in Class A ordinary shares, or by a division of ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share capitalization or share dividend, division or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a share dividend of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “historical fair market value” means the volume-weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the 10 trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
9
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 all or substantially all of the holders of the Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Class A ordinary shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution, does not exceed $0.50 (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any other adjustments and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the exercise price or to the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50 per share, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our IPO or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination or reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities, excluding the forward purchase 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 (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our initial shareholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), or 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 ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination, or the Market Value, is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “— Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “— Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “— Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
10
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another company (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing company and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another company or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of Class A ordinary shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A ordinary shares in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the 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 Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants.
The warrants were 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, and that all other modifications or amendments will require the vote or written consent of the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants and forward purchase warrants, and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants, a majority of the then outstanding private placement warrants. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder.
The forward purchase warrants will be identical to the warrants issued in our IPO, other than the forward purchase warrants will be subject to transfer restrictions and the forward purchasers will be entitled to registration rights with respect to the forward purchase securities.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our ordinary shares 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 shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity. Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company has agreed that it has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account, and has irrevocably waived any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account that it may have now or in the future. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied, or a claim will only be able to be pursued, solely against us and our assets outside the trust account and not against the any monies in the trust account or interest earned thereon.
11
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English law but does not follow recent English law statutory enactments and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information hat plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution being (i) the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders) or the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each Class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived, (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
12
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any Class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each Class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such Class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at an annual general meeting, or extraordinary general meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
| ■ | we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with; |
| ■ | the shareholders have been fairly represented at the general meeting in question; |
| ■ | the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and |
| ■ | the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.” |
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
13
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates is made within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
| ■ | a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority; |
| ■ | the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or |
| ■ | those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.” |
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions an
| ■ | an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies; |
| ■ | an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection; |
14
| ■ | an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting; |
| ■ | an exempted company may issue negotiable or bearer shares or shares with no par value; |
| ■ | an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance); |
| ■ | an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands; |
| ■ | an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and |
| ■ | an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company. |
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil.
Memorandum and Articles of Association
The Business Combination Article of our memorandum and articles of association contains provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to our IPO that apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either: (i) at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Our memorandum and articles of association provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Our initial shareholders will participate in any vote to amend our memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that:
| ■ | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of our IPO, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per -share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law; |
| ■ | Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a Class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 15 months from the closing of our IPO 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 executive officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event that we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; |
15
| ■ | If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under 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 under the Exchange Act; |
| ■ | We must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination; |
| ■ | If our shareholders approve an amendment to our memorandum and articles of association (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 15 months from the closing of our IPO or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein; and |
| ■ | We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations. |
In addition, our memorandum and articles of association provide that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. However, we may raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of our IPO, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets requirement.
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering — Cayman Islands
If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct or is involved with terrorism or terrorist property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report will not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.
16
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors is 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 general meetings.
Our authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and preference shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Class A ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
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 memorandum and articles of association 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 preference shares, 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 issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote generally in the appointment 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. However, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors; provided, however, that with respect to the appointment of directors in connection with a meeting of our shareholders in which a business combination is submitted to our shareholders for approval, holders of the Class A ordinary shares and holders of the Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, have the exclusive right to vote for the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares are not be entitled to vote on the appointment 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.
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) founder shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of our IPO, (ii) private placement warrants, which were issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of our IPO and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such private placement warrants and (iii) private placement warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement signed on the effective date of our IPO. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement and assuming the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full and $1,500,000 of working capital loans are converted into private placement warrants, we will be obligated to register up to 18,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 12,250,000 warrants. The number of Class A ordinary shares includes (i) 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon conversion of the founder shares, (ii) 10,750,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and (iii) 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The number of warrants includes 10,750,000 private placement warrants and 1,500,000 private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Listing of Securities
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “USCTU,” “USCT” and “USCTW,” respectively.
17
Exhibit 31.1
CERTIFICATION OF CO-PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Angela Blatteis, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of TKB Critical Technologies 1;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
2. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
| Date: March 11, 2022 | By: | /s/ Angela Blatteis |
| Angela Blatteis | ||
| Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | ||
| (Co-Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer) |
Exhibit 31.2
CERTIFICATION OF CO-PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Greg Klein, certify that:
1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of TKB Critical Technologies 1;
2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
a) Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; and
b) Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
c) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
d) Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
| Date: March 11, 2022 | By: | /s/ Greg Klein |
| Greg Klein | ||
| Co-Chief Executive Officer | ||
| (Co-Principal Executive Officer) |
Exhibit 32.1
CERTIFICATION OF CO-PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of TKB Critical Technologies 1 (the “Company”) for the year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Report”), I, Angela Blatteis, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify to the best of my knowledge, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
| Date: March 11, 2022 | By: | /s/ Angela Blatteis |
| Angela Blatteis | ||
| Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer | ||
| (Co-Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer) |
Exhibit 32.2
CERTIFICATION OF CO-PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT TO 18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of TKB Critical Technologies 1 (the “Company”) for the year ended December 31, 2021, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Report”), I, Greg Klein, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Company, certify to the best of my knowledge, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
1. The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and
2. The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
| Date: March 11, 2022 | By: | /s/ Greg Klein |
| Greg Klein | ||
| Co-Chief Executive Officer | ||
| (Co-Principal Executive Officer) |
BALANCE SHEET (Parenthetical) |
Dec. 31, 2021
$ / shares
shares
|
|---|---|
| Preferred stock, par value | $ / shares | $ 0.0001 |
| Preferred Stock, Shares Authorized | 1,000,000 |
| Preferred stock, shares issued | 0 |
| Preferred stock, shares outstanding | 0 |
| Class A Ordinary Shares [Member] | |
| Temporary equity, par value | $ / shares | $ 0.0001 |
| Temporary equity, shares authorized | 200,000,000 |
| Temporary equity, shares issued | 23,000,000 |
| Temporary equity, shares outstanding | 23,000,000 |
| Temporary Equity, Redemption Price Per Share | $ / shares | $ 10.20 |
| Common stock, par value | $ / shares | $ 0.0001 |
| Common stock, shares authorized | 200,000,000 |
| Common stock, shares issued | 0 |
| Common stock, shares outstanding | 0 |
| Shares subject to possible redemption | 23,000,000 |
| Class B Ordinary Shares [Member] | |
| Common stock, par value | $ / shares | $ 0.0001 |
| Common stock, shares authorized | 20,000,000 |
| Common stock, shares issued | 5,750,000 |
| Common stock, shares outstanding | 5,750,000 |
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
|
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
$ / shares
shares
| |
| Formation and operating costs | $ 1,817,262 |
| Loss from operations | (1,817,262) |
| Other income (expense): | |
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | 10,457,500 |
| Interest income on marketable securities held in Trust Account | 3,752 |
| Unrealized gain on marketable securities held in Trust Account | 198 |
| Other expense, net | 10,461,450 |
| Net income | $ 8,644,188 |
| Class A Ordinary Shares [Member] | |
| Other income (expense): | |
| Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic and Diluted Class B ordinary shares | shares | 5,772,549 |
| Basic and diluted net loss per shares class B ordinary shares | $ / shares | $ 0.79 |
| Class B Ordinary Shares [Member] | |
| Other income (expense): | |
| Weighted Average Number of Shares Outstanding, Basic and Diluted Class B ordinary shares | shares | 5,207,843 |
| Basic and diluted net loss per shares class B ordinary shares | $ / shares | $ 0.79 |
ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS BACKGROUND |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |
| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
| ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS BACKGROUND | NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS BACKGROUND
TKB Critical Technologies 1 (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 20, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into 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 geographic location 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 April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and its initial public offering (the “IPO”), 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 has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The registration statement for the Company’s IPO was declared effective on October 26, 2021 (the “Effective Date”). On October 29, 2021, the Company consummated the IPO of units (the “Units”), including Units that were issued pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at $ per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000, which is discussed in Note 3. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of Private Placement Warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant in a private placement to TKB Sponsor I, LLC (the “Sponsor”), generating proceeds of $10,750,000.
Transaction costs of the IPO amounted to $21,140,059, consisting of $3,850,000 of underwriting discount, $8,800,000 of deferred underwriting discount, $ excess fair value of founder shares and $741,628 of offering costs. Of these amounts, $19,774,814 was recorded to additional paid-in capital and $1,365,245 costs related to the warrant liability was expensed immediately using the residual allocation method.
Following the closing of the IPO on October 29, 2021, $234,600,000 ($ per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States which will be invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund 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 redemption of any Public Shares (as defined below) properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and (iii) the redemption of the Company’s Public Shares if the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within 15 months from October 29, 2021 (or any extended period of time that the Company may have to consummate an initial Business Combination as a result of an amendment to its Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association) (the “Combination Period”), the closing of the IPO.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. 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 operating businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the Company’s signing a definitive agreement in connection with its initial 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 an interest in the target business or assets sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) 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 general meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The public shareholder will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account ($10.20 per Public Share initially, 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 and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of the Business Combination. The per-share amount to be distributed to public shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 8). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.
The Company will only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval. If the Company seeks shareholder approval, the Company will complete its Business Combination only if the Company receives approval pursuant to an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the Company, or (ii) if so authorized by the Company’s articles of association, a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders. If a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated 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, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 6), and any Public Shares purchased during or after the IPO in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.
Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks shareholder 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 shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company provides that only Public Shares and not any Founder Shares are entitled to redemption rights. In addition, the Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its 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 (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriter has agreed to waive it right to its deferred underwriting commission held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($).
The Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered (other than its independent registered public accounting firm) 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 (1) $10.20 per Public Share or (2) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay franchise and income taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account and will not apply as to any claims under the Company’s 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 endeavouring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and 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.
Liquidity and Going Concern
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $750,562 cash and working capital of $813,657. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. The Company may need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsor, shareholders, officers, directors, or third parties. The Company’s officers, directors and Sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Company’s working capital needs. Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
8 Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statement with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statement in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statement 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 statement, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. One of the more significant accounting estimates included in these financial statements is the determination of the fair value of the warrant liabilities. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had $750,562 of operating cash as of December 31, 2021.
Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account
Following the closing of the IPO on October 29, 2021, an amount of $234,600,000 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in the Trust Account and may 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. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the return of the funds held in the Trust Account to the public shareholders as part of redemption of the Public Shares. As of December 31, 2021, substantially all of the assets held in the money market funds were invested primarily in U.S. Treasury securities.
Offering Costs Associated with IPO
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A— “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the IPO. Offering costs are charged to shareholder’s equity or the statement of operations based on the relative value of the Public Warrants (as defined below) and the Private Placement Warrants to the proceeds received from the Units sold upon the completion of the IPO. Accordingly, on October 29, 2021, offering costs totaling $21,140,059 (consisting of $3,850,000 of underwriting fees, $8,800,000 of deferred underwriting fees, $ excess fair value of founder shares and $741,628 of actual offering costs, with $1,365,245 included in the statement of operations as an allocation for the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants, and $19,774,814 included in additional paid-in capital).
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement” (“ASC 820”), approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
Warrant Liabilities
The Company accounts for the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants exercisable for the Company’s ordinary shares that are not indexed to its own shares as liabilities at fair value on the balance sheet. The Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date and any change in fair value is recognized as a component of other income (expense), net on the statement of operations. The Company will continue to adjust the liability for changes in fair value until the earlier of the exercise or expiration of the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants. At that time, the portion of the warrant liability related to the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants will be reclassified to additional paid-in capital.
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:
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.
The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value at the end of each reporting period and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Such changes are reflected in additional paid-in capital, or in the absence of additional capital, in accumulated deficit. On October 29, 2021, the Company recorded an accretion of $, $7,612,755 of which was recorded in additional paid-in capital and $27,687,038 was recorded in accumulated deficit.
As of December 31, 2021, the Class A ordinary shares, classified as temporary equity in the balance sheet, are reconciled in the following table:
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). 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.
FASB 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 considered an exempted Cayman Islands company and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
Net income per ordinary share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2021, which are not currently redeemable and are not redeemable at fair value, have been excluded from the calculation of basic net income per ordinary share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the Trust Account income. The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering and the private placement to purchase an aggregate of Private Warrants in the calculation of diluted income per share, since the exercise of the warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive. As a result, diluted net income per ordinary share is the same as basic net income per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The Company’s statement of operations includes a presentation of net income per ordinary share subject to possible redemption and allocates the net income into the two classes of stock in calculating net income per ordinary share, basic and diluted. For redeemable Class A ordinary shares, net income per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption outstanding since original issuance. For non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares, net income per share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares outstanding for the period. Non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares include the Founder Shares. As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the income of the Company. As a result, diluted net income per ordinary share is the same as basic net income per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share (in dollars, except per share amounts):
Related Parties
Parties, which can be a corporation or individual, are considered to be related if the Company has the ability, directly or indirectly, to control the other party or exercise significant influence over the other party in making financial and operational decisions. Companies are also considered to be related if they are subject to common control or common significant influence.
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. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
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 Company’s financial statements.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |
| Initial Public Offering | |
| INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING | NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
In connection with the Company’s IPO, on October 29, 2021, the Company sold Units at a price of $ per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share (“Public Shares”) and one-half of one warrant (“Public Warrants”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
An aggregate of $ per Unit sold in the IPO was held in the Trust Account and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company. As of October 29, 2021, $234,600,000 of the IPO proceeds and proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was held in the Trust Account, representing an overfunding of the trust account of 102.0% of the public offering size. In addition, $1,674,181 of cash is not held in the Trust Account and is available for working capital purposes on the date of the IPO.
Transaction costs as of the IPO date amounted to $21,140,059, consisting of $3,850,000 of underwriting discount, $8,800,000 of deferred underwriting discount, $ excess fair value of founder shares and $741,628 of offering costs.
|
PRIVATE PLACEMENT |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |
| Private Placement | |
| PRIVATE PLACEMENT | NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,750,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant ($10,750,000 in the aggregate). Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants were added to the proceeds from the IPO to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
|
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |
| Related Party Transactions [Abstract] | |
| RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS | NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
In April 2021, the Sponsor purchased shares of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ overallotment option was not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares collectively represents 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the IPO. Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the underwriters exercised the over-allotment option in full. Accordingly, 750,000 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.
The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier 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 ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share 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, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
On October 8, 2021, the Sponsor entered into agreements with certain funds managed by Apollo Capital Management, L.P. (collectively, “Apollo”), certain funds managements by Atalaya Capital Management, LP (“Atalaya”) and Meteora Capital Partners, L.P. and funds affiliated with Meteora Capital Partners, L.P. (collectively “Meteora) (individually and collectively, the “anchor investors”). Each of the anchor investors purchased 9.9% of the Units in the IPO (excluding Units issued in connection with the exercise of the over-allotment option). Each of Apollo and Atalaya agreed to purchase interests in the Sponsor representing approximately 7% of the Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants at approximately the cost of such securities to the Sponsor, with the Sponsor’s obligation to sell some or all of such interests conditioned upon such anchor investor’s purchase of the Units.
Meteora entered into a separate agreement with the Sponsor pursuant to which it agreed to purchase interests in the Sponsor representing approximately 6.4% of the Founder Shares for approximately 3.7% of the cost of the Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor.
The anchor investors acquired from the Sponsor an indirect economic interest in an aggregate of Founder Shares at the original purchase price that the Sponsor paid for the Founder Shares. The Sponsor has agreed to distribute the Founder Shares to the anchor investors after the completion of a Business Combination. The Company estimates the aggregate fair value of the Founder Shares attributable to the anchor investors to be approximately $7,753,530, or $ per share.
The excess of the fair value of the Founder Shares was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A. Accordingly, the offering cost was allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the IPO based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities were expensed as incurred in the statement of operations. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares were charged to shareholder’s deficit upon the completion of the IPO.
Forward Purchase Agreements
The Company entered into separate forward purchase agreements (the “Forward Purchase Agreements”) with Apollo and Atalaya (“the “Forward Purchasers”) on August 13, 2021, and August 4, 2021, respectively. The forward purchase shares and forward purchase warrants will be identical to the Class A ordinary shares and Public Warrants included in the Units sold in the IPO. Each Forward Purchaser’s commitment under its Forward Purchase Agreement is subject to certain conditions including investment committee approval.
Promissory Note — Related Party
In April 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the consummation of the IPO. On October 29, 2021, the Company repaid the Sponsor $300,000 for amounts outstanding under the Promissory Note. However, the promissory note balance on October 29, 2021 was $279,597 and, as such, the Company recorded a $20,403 related party receivable for the over-payment. As of December 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under the Promissory Note, as all such amounts were paid.
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company has entered into an agreement with Tartavull Klein Blatteis Capital, LLC (“TKB Capital”), an affiliate of the Sponsor, pursuant to which the Company will pay TKB Capital a total of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to the Company. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has incurred and paid $20,000 of fees.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, certain of the Company’s officers, directors or any of their affiliates 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. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2021, no Working Capital Loans were outstanding.
|
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |
| Equity [Abstract] | |
| SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | NOTE 6. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue preference shares with a par value of $ per share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At December 31, 2021, there were preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $ per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2021, there were Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, subject to redemption.
Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $ per share. At December 31, 2021, there were Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding..
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders and holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders except as required by law; provided that only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to or in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of a Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the IPO and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of the IPO plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any forward purchase securities, any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any private placement warrants issued to the Sponsor upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one to one.
|
WARRANTS |
8 Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Guarantees and Product Warranties [Abstract] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| WARRANTS | NOTE 7. WARRANTS
The Company accounts for the 22,250,000 warrants that were issued in the IPO (representing 11,500,000 Public Warrants and 10,750,000 Private Placement Warrants) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. The warrants do not meet the criteria to be considered indexed to the Company’s stock due to settlement provisions that result in holders of warrants receiving variable settlement amounts determined by the reference table. Additionally, an event that is not within the entity’s control could require net cash settlement, thus precluding equity classification. Accordingly, the Company will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless holders purchase at least two Units, they will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such Public Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Public Warrant will be exercisable, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a Public Warrant unless the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such Public Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Public Warrants.
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, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement filed in connection with its initial public offering or a new registration statement covering registration under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the Public Warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if the Class A ordinary shares is at the time of any exercise of a Public Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, 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 it will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary share issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of a Business Combination, Public Warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but the Company will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $
Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, it may exercise its redemption right even if the Company is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00
Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities (excluding the forward purchase securities) for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s 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 a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates a 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, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the IPO, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants are not transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants are exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and are non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees (except for a number of Class A Ordinary Shares as described above under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”). If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
|
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |
| Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] | |
| COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES | NOTE 8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants, warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and forward purchase securities that may be issued pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreements (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, forward purchase warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement that was signed on the effective date of the IPO, requiring the Company to register such securities for resale. The holders of these securities are 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 granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the IPO to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the IPO price less the underwriting discount. On October 29, 2021 the underwriters exercised the over-allotment option in full, generating an additional $30,000,000 in gross proceeds. As a result of the over-allotment being exercised in full, the Sponsor did not forfeit any Founder Shares back to the Company. The underwriters were paid a cash underwriting discount of $3,850,000 in the aggregate at the closing of the IPO. In addition, $0.35 per Unit, or $8,050,000, and $750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions ($8,800,000 in the aggregate) is payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee is payable to the underwriters 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.
Broker Dealer Agreement
The Company entered a broker dealer agreement on November 23, 2021, for the purposes of identifying a target company (“Target”) in connection with the initial business combination. The broker dealer (“Finder”) will identify potential Targets that have not already been identified by the Company. In the event that the Company already knows the Target, the Company will inform the Finder and the agreement will be terminated. However, the Company may enter into another agreement with the Finder for a known Target if the Company believes the Finder can add substantial value with respect to the pursuit of the known Target. The Finder will act exclusively for the Company with respect to all activities related to pursuit of a Target once identified. If the Company consummates an initial business combination of the Target, the Company will pay the Finder a base success fee of $350,000 or, in lieu of the base success fee and not in addition to, an introduction fee if, in addition to first identifying a Target, the Finder also provides the Company an introduction to a pre-existing relationship with a person that serves as a member of the Target’s Board of Directors or senior executive management. The introduction fee will be $1,000,000 if the Target has initiated a competitive process with respect to a strategic alternative or 0.5% of the pre-money equity value of the Target if the Target has not initiated a competitive process with respect to a strategic alternative. Payment to the Finder is dependent upon the closing of an initial business combination. As of December 31, 2021, the Company has not been introduced to a Target and thus did not accrue any amounts related to this agreement.
Consulting Agreements
The Company entered into eight consulting agreements through December 31, 2021. During the term of each agreement, the consultant (“Consultant”) will advise the Company concerning matters related to qualifying business combinations, including services such as valuation, diligence and general advice with respect to the business, operations and financial conditions of any such counterparty to a qualifying business combination. Upon closing of an initial business combination, the Company will pay the Consultant a base fee of $350,000. In lieu of and not in addition to the base fee, the Company will pay a bonus fee of $1,000,000 if the Company and the Consultant mutually determine and agree that the Consultant will provide advice or services that are of a different kind than those contemplated in the agreement. In lieu of and not in addition to the base fee and bonus fee, the Company will pay 0.5% of the pre-money equity value of the Target if the Company and the Consultant mutually determine and agree that the Consultant provided, or will provide, material support in connection with the evaluation, negotiation, execution or marketing of an initial business combination that is ultimately consummated by the Company. Payment to the Consultant is dependent upon the closing of an initial business combination. As of December 31, 2021, no work has been performed related to the consulting agreements and thus the Company did not accrue any amounts related to these agreements.
|
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS |
8 Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS | NOTE 9. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
At December 31, 2021, the Company’s warrant liability was valued at $10,680,000. Under the guidance in ASC 815-40, the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment. As such, the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants must be recorded on the balance sheet at fair value. This valuation is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each re-measurement, the valuations will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
The following table presents fair value information as of December 31, 2021, of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value. The Company’s warrant liability is based on a valuation model utilizing management judgment and pricing inputs from observable and unobservable markets with less volume and transaction frequency than active markets. Significant deviations from these estimates and inputs could result in a material change in fair value. The Company’s transferred the fair value of Public Warrants from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 measurement and Private Warrants from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 2 measurement during the period from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021:
The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:
Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.
The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy the Company’s assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021:
Measurement
The Warrants are measured at fair value on a recurring basis. The measurement of the Public Warrants as of December 31, 2021 is classified as Level 1 due to the use of an observable market quote in an active market under the ticker USCTW. As the transfer of Private Placement Warrants to anyone outside of a small group of individuals who are permitted transferees would result in the Private Placement Warrants having substantially the same terms as the Public Warrants, the Company determined that the fair value of each Private Placement Warrant is equivalent to that of each Public Warrant, with an insignificant adjustment for short-term marketability restrictions. As such, the Private Placement Warrants are classified as Level 2.
The Company established the initial fair value for the warrants on October 29, 2021, the date of the consummation of the Company’s IPO. The Company used a Black-Scholes model to value the warrants. The Company allocated the proceeds received from (i) the sale of Units (which is inclusive of one Class A Ordinary Share and one-half of one Public Warrant), (ii) the sale of Private Placement Warrants, and (iii) the issuance of Class B Ordinary Shares, first to the warrants based on their fair values as determined at initial measurement, with the remaining proceeds allocated to Class A Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption (temporary equity), Class A Ordinary Shares (permanent equity) and Class B Ordinary Shares (permanent equity) based on their relative fair values at the initial measurement date.
Based on the applied volatility assumption and the expected term to a business combination noted below, the Company determined that the risk-neutral probability of exceeding the $ redemption value by the start of the exercise period for the Warrants resulted in a nominal difference in value between the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants across the valuation dates utilized in the Black-Scholes model. Therefore, the resulting valuations for the two classes of Warrants were determined to be equal. On October 29, 2021, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants and Public Warrants was determined to be $0.95 per warrant for aggregate values of $10,925,000 and $10,212,500, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants was determined to be $0.48 per warrant for an aggregate value of $5,160,000. As of December 31, 2021, the Public Warrants had a stated market value of $0.48 per warrant for an aggregate value of $5,520,000.
The following table presents the changes in the fair value of derivative warrant liabilities from April 20, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021:
The key inputs into the Black-Scholes model formula were as follows at October 29, 2021 and December 31, 2021:
The risk-free interest rate assumption was based on the linearly interpolated Treasury Constant Maturity Rate Curve between five and seven year rates, which was commensurate with the contractual term of the Warrants, which expire on the earlier of (i) six years after the completion of the initial business combination and (ii) upon redemption or liquidation. An increase in the risk-free interest rate, in isolation, would result in an increase in the fair value measurement of the warrant liabilities and vice versa.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |
| Subsequent Events [Abstract] | |
| SUBSEQUENT EVENTS | NOTE 10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements, other than described below.
Subsequent to December 31, 2021 the Company entered into five additional consulting agreements for professional services and one additional broker dealer agreement for identifying a target for the initial business combination. The consulting agreements and broker dealer agreement have the same terms as those entered into prior to December 31, 2021. See Note 8. |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies) |
8 Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basis of Presentation | Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Emerging Growth Company | Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statement 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 | Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statement in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statement 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 statement, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. One of the more significant accounting estimates included in these financial statements is the determination of the fair value of the warrant liabilities. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash and Cash Equivalents | Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had $750,562 of operating cash as of December 31, 2021.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account | Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account
Following the closing of the IPO on October 29, 2021, an amount of $234,600,000 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in the Trust Account and may 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. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the return of the funds held in the Trust Account to the public shareholders as part of redemption of the Public Shares. As of December 31, 2021, substantially all of the assets held in the money market funds were invested primarily in U.S. Treasury securities.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Offering Costs Associated with IPO | Offering Costs Associated with IPO
The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A— “Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the IPO. Offering costs are charged to shareholder’s equity or the statement of operations based on the relative value of the Public Warrants (as defined below) and the Private Placement Warrants to the proceeds received from the Units sold upon the completion of the IPO. Accordingly, on October 29, 2021, offering costs totaling $21,140,059 (consisting of $3,850,000 of underwriting fees, $8,800,000 of deferred underwriting fees, $ excess fair value of founder shares and $741,628 of actual offering costs, with $1,365,245 included in the statement of operations as an allocation for the Public Warrants and the Private Placement Warrants, and $19,774,814 included in additional paid-in capital).
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair Value of Financial Instruments | Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement” (“ASC 820”), approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Derivative Financial Instruments | Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warrant Liabilities | Warrant Liabilities
The Company accounts for the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants exercisable for the Company’s ordinary shares that are not indexed to its own shares as liabilities at fair value on the balance sheet. The Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants are subject to remeasurement at each balance sheet date and any change in fair value is recognized as a component of other income (expense), net on the statement of operations. The Company will continue to adjust the liability for changes in fair value until the earlier of the exercise or expiration of the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants. At that time, the portion of the warrant liability related to the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants will be reclassified to additional paid-in capital.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair Value Measurements | 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:
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.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption |
The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that features redemption rights that is either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value at the end of each reporting period and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Such changes are reflected in additional paid-in capital, or in the absence of additional capital, in accumulated deficit. On October 29, 2021, the Company recorded an accretion of $, $7,612,755 of which was recorded in additional paid-in capital and $27,687,038 was recorded in accumulated deficit.
As of December 31, 2021, the Class A ordinary shares, classified as temporary equity in the balance sheet, are reconciled in the following table:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income Taxes | Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). 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.
FASB 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 considered an exempted Cayman Islands company and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. As such, the Company’s tax provision was zero for the period presented.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net Income Per Ordinary Share |
Net income per ordinary share is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption at December 31, 2021, which are not currently redeemable and are not redeemable at fair value, have been excluded from the calculation of basic net income per ordinary share since such shares, if redeemed, only participate in their pro rata share of the Trust Account income. The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering and the private placement to purchase an aggregate of Private Warrants in the calculation of diluted income per share, since the exercise of the warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events and the inclusion of such warrants would be anti-dilutive. As a result, diluted net income per ordinary share is the same as basic net income per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The Company’s statement of operations includes a presentation of net income per ordinary share subject to possible redemption and allocates the net income into the two classes of stock in calculating net income per ordinary share, basic and diluted. For redeemable Class A ordinary shares, net income per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption outstanding since original issuance. For non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares, net income per share is calculated by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares outstanding for the period. Non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares include the Founder Shares. As of December 31, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the income of the Company. As a result, diluted net income per ordinary share is the same as basic net income per ordinary share for the periods presented.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share (in dollars, except per share amounts):
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Parties | Related Parties
Parties, which can be a corporation or individual, are considered to be related if the Company has the ability, directly or indirectly, to control the other party or exercise significant influence over the other party in making financial and operational decisions. Companies are also considered to be related if they are subject to common control or common significant influence.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Concentration of Credit Risk | 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. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recent Accounting Standards | Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
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 Company’s financial statements.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Tables) |
8 Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accounting Policies [Abstract] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Temporary equity balance sheet |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Tables) |
8 Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule of fair value measurements |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fair Value, Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule of Derivative Liabilities at Fair Value |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Schedule of Assumptions Used |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details) - Class A Ordinary Shares [Member] |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
|
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
| |
| Gross proceeds from initial public offering | $ 230,000,000 |
| Proceeds allocated to public warrants | (10,925,000) |
| Offering costs allocated to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | (19,774,793) |
| Re-measurement on Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption amount | 35,299,793 |
| Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ 234,600,000 |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Details-1) |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
|
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
$ / shares
shares
| |
| Net income | $ 8,644,188 |
| Redeemable Class A Ordinary Shares [Member] | |
| Net income | 4,544,373 |
| Net income attributable to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ 4,544,373 |
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares | shares | 5,772,549 |
| Basic and diluted net income per share, non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares | $ / shares | $ 0.79 |
| Non Redeemable Class B Ordinary Shares [Member] | |
| Net income | $ 4,099,815 |
| Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding, non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares | shares | 5,207,843 |
| Basic and diluted net income per share, non-redeemable Class B ordinary shares | $ / shares | $ 0.79 |
| Non-redeemable net income | $ 4,099,815 |
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING (Details Narrative) - USD ($) |
1 Months Ended | 8 Months Ended |
|---|---|---|
Oct. 29, 2021 |
Dec. 31, 2021 |
|
| Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items] | ||
| Sale of units per share | $ 10.00 | |
| Cash | $ 750,562 | |
| Transaction costs | $ 21,140,059 | |
| Underwriting fees | 3,850,000 | |
| Deferred underwriting fees | 8,800,000 | |
| Excess fair value of founder shares | 7,748,431 | |
| Actual offering cost | $ 741,628 | |
| IPO [Member] | ||
| Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items] | ||
| Sale of units in initial public offering | 23,000,000 | |
| Sale of units per share | $ 10.00 | |
| Sale of units per share | $ 10.20 | |
| Sale of units in initial public offering aggragate amount | $ 234,600,000 | |
| Cash | $ 1,674,181 | |
| Private Placement [Member] | ||
| Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items] | ||
| Sale of units in initial public offering | 10,750,000 | 10,750,000 |
| Warrants exercise price share | $ 1.00 | |
| Private Placement [Member] | Common Class A [Member] | ||
| Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items] | ||
| Warrants exercise price share | $ 11.50 | $ 11.50 |
PRIVATE PLACEMENT (Details Narrative) - $ / shares |
8 Months Ended | |
|---|---|---|
Dec. 31, 2021 |
Oct. 29, 2021 |
|
| Private Placement [Member] | ||
| Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] | ||
| Warrant Price | $ 1.00 | |
| Private Placement [Member] | Common Class A [Member] | ||
| Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] | ||
| Warrant Price | $ 11.50 | $ 11.50 |
| Private Placement Warrants [Member] | ||
| Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] | ||
| Warrant Price | $ 0.01 | |
| Private Placement Warrants [Member] | IPO [Member] | ||
| Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items] | ||
| Warrants issued | 10,750,000 | |
| Warrant Price | $ 1.00 |
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (Details Narrative) - USD ($) |
1 Months Ended | 8 Months Ended | |
|---|---|---|---|
Oct. 29, 2021 |
Apr. 29, 2021 |
Dec. 31, 2021 |
|
| Related Party Transaction [Line Items] | |||
| Proceeds from promissory notes | $ 300,000 | $ (300,000) | |
| Promissory note outstanding balance | 279,597 | ||
| Note receivable | $ 20,403 | ||
| Other fees | $ 20,000 | ||
| Related Party Loans Description | The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. | ||
| T K B [Member] | |||
| Related Party Transaction [Line Items] | |||
| Capital | $ 10,000 | ||
| Forward Purchase Agreements [Member] | |||
| Related Party Transaction [Line Items] | |||
| Shares Description | The Forward Purchase Agreements provide, at the Company’s option, for the aggregate purchase of up to 9,600,000 Class A ordinary shares and 4,800,000 warrants to purchase Class A ordinary shares for an aggregate price of $96.0 million ($10.00 for one Class A ordinary share and one half of one warrant), in private placements that will close concurrently with the closing of the initial Business Combination. | ||
| Anchor Investors [Member] | |||
| Related Party Transaction [Line Items] | |||
| Number of shares acquired | 1,173,000 | ||
| Value of common stock acquired | $ 7,753,530 | ||
| Share Price | $ 6.61 | ||
| Sponsor [Member] | |||
| Related Party Transaction [Line Items] | |||
| Number of shares issued, shares | 5,750,000 | ||
| Number of shares issued, value | $ 25,000 | ||
| Number of shares subject to forfeiture | 750,000 | ||
| Principal amount | $ 300,000 | ||
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Details Narrative) |
Dec. 31, 2021
$ / shares
shares
|
|---|---|
| Class of Stock [Line Items] | |
| Preferred stock, Shares authorized | 1,000,000 |
| Preferred stock, Par value | $ / shares | $ 0.0001 |
| Preferred stock, Shares issued | 0 |
| Preferred stock, Shares outstanding | 0 |
| Common Class A [Member] | |
| Class of Stock [Line Items] | |
| Common stock, Shares authorized | 200,000,000 |
| Common stock, Par value | $ / shares | $ 0.0001 |
| Common stock, Shares issued | 23,000,000 |
| Common stock, Shares outstanding | 23,000,000 |
| Common Class B [Member] | |
| Class of Stock [Line Items] | |
| Common stock, Shares authorized | 20,000,000 |
| Common stock, Par value | $ / shares | $ 0.0001 |
| Common stock, Shares issued | 5,750,000 |
| Common stock, Shares outstanding | 5,750,000 |
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details Narrative) - USD ($) |
1 Months Ended | 8 Months Ended | |
|---|---|---|---|
Nov. 23, 2021 |
Oct. 29, 2021 |
Dec. 31, 2021 |
|
| Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items] | |||
| Cash underwriting discount | $ 3,850,000 | ||
| Deferred underwriting commissions | $ 8,800,000 | ||
| Business combination fees | $ 350,000 | ||
| Other fees | $ 1,000,000 | ||
| Consulting fee | $ 350,000 | ||
| Acquisition cost | $ 1,000,000 | ||
| Over-Allotment Option [Member] | |||
| Subsidiary, Sale of Stock [Line Items] | |||
| Number of Over-Allotment Units | 3,000,000 | ||
| Proceeds from initial public offering for deferred fee | $ 30,000,000 | ||
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details-2) - Derivative Warrant Liability [Member] |
8 Months Ended |
|---|---|
|
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
| |
| Fair Value, Off-balance Sheet Risks, Disclosure Information [Line Items] | |
| Derivative warrant liabilities, at beginning | |
| Initial fair value at issuance of public and private placement warrants | 21,137,500 |
| Change in fair value | (10,457,500) |
| Derivative warrant liabilities, at ending | 10,680,000 |
| Public Warrants [Member] | |
| Fair Value, Off-balance Sheet Risks, Disclosure Information [Line Items] | |
| Derivative warrant liabilities, at beginning | |
| Initial fair value at issuance of public and private placement warrants | 10,925,000 |
| Change in fair value | (5,405,000) |
| Derivative warrant liabilities, at ending | 5,520,000 |
| Private Placement Warrants [Member] | |
| Fair Value, Off-balance Sheet Risks, Disclosure Information [Line Items] | |
| Derivative warrant liabilities, at beginning | |
| Initial fair value at issuance of public and private placement warrants | 10,212,500 |
| Change in fair value | (5,052,500) |
| Derivative warrant liabilities, at ending | $ 5,160,000 |
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details-3) - Private Placement Warrants [Member] - $ / shares |
1 Months Ended | 8 Months Ended |
|---|---|---|
Oct. 29, 2021 |
Dec. 31, 2021 |
|
| Share price | $ 10.00 | $ 9.92 |
| Exercise price | $ 11.50 | $ 11.50 |
| Risk-free rate of interest | 1.14% | 1.33% |
| Volatility | 16.10% | 8.00% |
| Term | 6 years | 5 years 9 months 29 days |
| Warrant to buy one share, unadjusted | $ 1.19 | $ 0.48 |
| Warrant to buy one share, adjusted | $ 0.95 | $ 0.48 |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (Details Narrative) |
Dec. 31, 2021
USD ($)
$ / shares
|
|---|---|
| Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract] | |
| Warrant liability | $ | $ 10,680,000 |
| Redemption value | $ / shares | $ 18.00 |