Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 4,950,000 private placement warrants to our sponsor at a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds of $4,950,000.
A total of $116,725,000, comprised of $113,000,000 of the proceeds from the initial public offering and a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants was placed in the trust account maintained by Continental, acting as trustee.
It is the job of our sponsor and management team to complete our initial business combination. Our management team is led by Enrique Klix, our Chief Executive Officer, and Brittany Lincoln, our Chief Financial Officer, who have many years of experience in identifying and understanding the key fundamental theses of the businesses operating in our targeted geography and sector. We must complete our initial business combination by May 5, 2023, 18 months from the closing of our initial public offering. If our initial business combination is not consummated by the end of this Combination Period, then our existence will terminate, and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account.
On March 24, 2023, we filed a preliminary proxy statement with the SEC for a special meeting of the Company’s stockholders. The purpose of the meeting is to consider and vote upon a proposal to amend our Charter to extend the date by which the Company must consummate a business combination from May 5, 2023 to November 3, 2023, or such earlier date as determined by the Company’s board of directors in its sole discretion (the “Extension,” and such later date, the “Extended Date”) (“Extension Amendment Proposal”). The Company and the Sponsor are discussing the amount, if any, of additional monthly contributions to the Trust Account by the Sponsor or its designee for the benefit of the holders of Public Shares who do not elect to redeem their Public Shares in connection with the Extension. There is no guarantee that the Extension Amendment Proposal will be approved by the Company’s stockholders, and if it is not approved, then if a Business Combination is not consummated by May 5, 2023, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of the Company. Moreover, the extent, if any, by which the Sponsor or its designee agrees to make additional contributions to the Trust Account if the Extension Amendment Proposal is approved will likely have a significant influence on the stockholders’ vote. If the Extension is approved, the public stockholders will be provided the opportunity at that time to redeem all or a portion of their (which would likely have a material adverse effect on the amount held in our trust account and other adverse effects on our company, such as our ability to maintain our listing on Nasdaq).
Market Opportunity
We believe that Australia and New Zealand have economic and social environments suitable for companies to develop new technologies and/or business models with potential for international expansion. With a population of approximately 26.0 million and a nominal gross domestic product (“GDP”) of $1.72 trillion in 2022, growing at an average annual compound growth rate of 3.8% per annum through 2027 (according to the International Monetary Fund), Australia presents an opportunity for investment with proper fundamentals. With a population of approximately 5.1 million and a GDP of $242.7 billion in 2022, growing at an average annual compound growth rate of 4.8% per annum through 2027 (according to the International Monetary Fund), New Zealand presents a comparable opportunity with similar fundamentals. Australia and New Zealand have similar levels of affluence and preferences to Westerners in larger markets. These countries speak English as a first language, have relatively high income per capita, and a strong rule of law and credit rating, combined with low levels of inflation and unemployment. More importantly, however, Australia and New Zealand have robust economies that maintain an entrepreneurial spirit, provide for significant availability of at-risk capital, and are early adopters of technology.
Australia and New Zealand completed 2020 with relatively low global debt levels and AAA and AA+ long-term foreign currency ratings, respectively, according to Standard & Poor’s as of March 1, 2023. Australia and New Zealand’s effective and proactive responses to the outbreak of COVID-19 have shielded their economies from the global economic downturn experienced during 2020. Australia and New Zealand have been flexible and resilient economies, with strong social and political institutions, and open markets, which have helped them respond effectively to various manners of disruption.
The combined effects of COVID-19 lockdowns and economic support packages are swiftly changing the public debt profile of almost all economies. Australia and New Zealand entered 2020 with very low public debt, by international standards. In its October 2022 ‘Global Fiscal Monitor’ report, the International Monetary Fund stated that the Australian government and New Zealand government’s net debt was 34.2% and 19.9% of GDP in 2019, respectively. These figures are well below the 90.7% average for advanced economies. With low public sector debt, the governments of Australia and New Zealand are well positioned to support economic recovery.
When considering a wide range of economic, social, and political factors, Australia and New Zealand are two of the most globalized countries in the world. According to the KOF Globalization Index, Australia and New Zealand ranked 3rd and 6th, respectively, in the Asia-Pacific region in 2022. The topmost globalized countries are Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Globally, Australia and New Zealand were ranked 30th and 42nd, respectively, after the United States of America (24th) and above some major trading economies, such as China (77th), and India (86th).
Australia and New Zealand benefit from a diverse, highly skilled, and entrepreneurial workforce. As two of the most multicultural and multilingual countries in the world, Australia and New Zealand use their global ties to connect with the best the world has to offer. Australia and New Zealand are also two of the easiest places in the world to do business. According to the World Bank, Australia and New Zealand reached the 14th and 1st positions in the world, respectively, for ease of doing business in 2019.
2