We are a blank check company incorporated on July 30, 2020 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or
similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this Form 10-K as our initial business combination.
On October 6, 2020 the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering (the “(Initial Public Offering”) of 40,000,000 units (the “Units”). Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock,
$0.0001 par value per share (the “Class A Common Stock” and, with respect to the Class A Common Stock included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company (a “Warrant” and, with respect to the
Warrants included in the Units sold, the “Public Warrants”), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $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 $400,000,000. The Company granted the underwriters in the IPO (the “Underwriters”) a 45-day option to purchase up to 6,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if
any. On October 14, 2020, the Underwriters partially exercised the over-allotment option and on October 15, 2020, purchased an additional 5,000,000 Units (the “Over-Allotment Units”), generating gross proceeds of $50,000,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company completed the private sale (the “Private Placement”) of an aggregate of 10,000,000 Warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) to Sports
Entertainment Acquisition Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), and PJT Partners Holdings LP (“PJT”) at a purchase price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $10,000,000.
In connection with the Underwriters’ partial exercise of their over-allotment option, the Sponsor and PJT simultaneously purchased an additional 944,444 and 55,556 Private Placement Warrants, respectively, generating gross proceeds to the Company
of $1,000,000.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on October 6, 2020, an amount of $400,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the
Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the “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 certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment
Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below. Following the closing of the sale of Over-Allotment
Units on October 15, 2020, an amount of $50,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Over-Allotment Units and the simultaneous sale of additional Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor and PJT was placed in the Trust
Account and invested in accordance with the first sentence of the previous sentence.
While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to focus on the sports and entertainment sectors as well as the technology and services that are associated with these verticals.
Examples of these technology/service areas include media, ticketing, payments processing, entertainment travel, gaming, loyalty programs and many others. Our founders have knowledge of these areas and we believe a business operating in one of these
areas would benefit from our operational expertise and the experience and networks of our management team.
Business Strategy
We believe that many companies operating in the sports and entertainment sectors, and the technology and service areas that enable them, have characteristics that make them attractive targets. Specifically, many
companies in these sectors achieve high growth and have the potential to serve as platforms that can be utilized for future acquisitions. These businesses often emerge within the ecosystems of the owners of content and other intellectual property,
and require different applications of capital and specific management experiences to grow. The application of third-party capital and expertise has the potential to enable growth outside of the original focus area. Examples of businesses that have
followed this trajectory include ESPN, Ticketmaster/StubHub, Fanatics, On Location Experiences and many others. Furthermore, the evolution of technology and the way that consumers engage with content and experiences, whether live, broadcast or
streamed, is resulting in significant disruption within the sports and entertainment verticals. We believe that there are highly attractive opportunities within the marketplace today, and we have confidence in our ability to identify companies that
are well positioned in the changing landscape. Additionally, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, multiple segments within our focus areas are experiencing stresses that we believe will lead to recapitalization opportunities and
reinvention strategies. We believe our management capabilities, our balance sheet characteristics and our financial acumen will be attractive to many potential targets. Our acquisition and value creation strategy will be to identify, acquire and
operate a company in the sports and entertainment sectors, or the technology and media sub-verticals that enable them.
We expect to be provided with ideas and deal flow from many sources, including various investment banks with whom we have relationships. In addition, an affiliate of PJT, an investor in our Sponsor and holder of
Private Placement Warrants, is an affiliate of PJT Partners LP.
We believe that we will have opportunities to leverage our relationship with several investment banks, which will present us with certain advantages in identifying prospective target companies in the areas that we
determine are appropriate and attractive for our initial business combination.
Our selection process will capitalize on the extensive network of relationships, deep industry experience and extensive deal sourcing capabilities of Mr. Grubman, the Chairman of our Board of Directors and our Chief
Financial Officer, Mr. Collins, our Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Shumway, an investor in our Sponsor, to access a broad spectrum of opportunities, with the goal of acquiring a company that complements their experience and can benefit from their
operational and financial expertise.
We expect to leverage the collective and distinctive capabilities of Mr. Grubman, Mr. Collins and Mr. Shumway, including their:
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deep and broad networks of relationships in sports and entertainment across leagues, team owners, commissioners, athletes and industry executives to create a significant pipeline of opportunities;
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extensive experience of sourcing, structuring, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling businesses;
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ability to identify businesses that we believe will be well received in the public markets based on their deep understanding of public market performance and requirements;
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significant M&A experience, including in consummating transactions at attractive valuations across a wide range of sectors at various points in the cycle;
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ability to identify businesses with significant operational and financial improvement opportunities;
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history in accessing the capital markets across various business cycles, including financing businesses and assisting companies with the transition to public ownership.
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In addition to Mr. Grubman’s and Mr. Collins’s own sourcing and evaluation capabilities, our board of directors is comprised of leading executives with public company experience, as well as experience in a variety of
relevant industries. We believe our directors add depth to our expertise, broaden our network of relationships, and provide exceptional governance to our company.
We expect potential transaction sources to include publicly traded companies, corporate carve-outs and founder/management-owned entities.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review, which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with members of the target’s management and other
employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry. We will also benefit from Mr. Grubman’s, Mr. Collins’s and Mr. Shumway’s networks of relationships with senior
executives, board members and members of executive management teams to provide specialized insights into their areas of expertise as well as leverage their operational and capital planning experience.
Each of our directors and officers, directly or indirectly, owns founder shares and/or Private Placement Warrants and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is
an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, 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 subject to his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations. As a result, 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, then, subject to such officer’s and director’s fiduciary duties under Delaware law, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to
present such business combination opportunity to such entity before we can pursue such opportunity. If those other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to
materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will renounce our interest in any business combination opportunity offered to any director or officer
unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
Initial Business Combination
The New York Stock Exchange LLC (the “NYSE”) rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets
held in the Trust Account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors
is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with
respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own or acquire shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or
assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet
certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the
target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more
of the outstanding voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our
initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target, or issue a substantial number of new shares
to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In such cases, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders
immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business or
businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination
involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for the purposes of a
tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of the Initial Public
Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company
or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt or not all of the funds released from the Trust Account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination
or used for redemption of our Public Shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the Trust Account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment
of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We may seek to raise additional funds in connection with the completion of our initial business combination through a private offering of equity securities (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or debt
securities or loans, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offerings or loans rather than using the amounts held in the Trust Account.
In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the Trust Account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the
financing and, only if required by applicable law or we decide to do so for business or other reasons, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately (including pursuant to a
specified future issuance) or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale
of securities or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We believe our management team’s and Mr. Shumway's significant operating and transaction experience and relationships with companies will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets.
Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team and Mr. Shumway have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. In addition, PJT Partners LP, an affiliate of PJT, a non-voting investor
in our Sponsor and holder of Private Placement Warrants, is a leading investment bank that maintains a broad network of relationships in numerous industry segments within our focus areas.
We believe this network provides us with a robust and consistent flow of acquisition opportunities which were proprietary or where a limited group of investors were invited to participate in the sale process. We
believe that this network of contacts and relationships will provide us with important sources of acquisition opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated
sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, its members, or our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business
combination with a business that is affiliated with our Sponsor, its members, or our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an
independent accounting firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
If our Sponsor, any of its members, or any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for one or more entities to which it, he or she has fiduciary, contractual or
other obligations or duties, it, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines
to present the opportunity to us (including as described above). In addition, we may, at our option, pursue an affiliated joint acquisition opportunity with an entity to which our Sponsor, any of its members, or an officer or director has a
fiduciary, contractual or other obligation or duty. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by making a
specified future issuance to any such parties.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (net of
amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one
or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business
or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase
multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in
identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling
interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned
or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired by us is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors to evaluate the possible
merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in
such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection
of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of
certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds
we can use to complete another business combination.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination or Certain Stockholder Votes to Amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash,
equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the
number of then outstanding Public Shares, subject to the limitations described herein. At completion of the business combination, we will be required to purchase any Public Shares properly delivered for redemption and not withdrawn. The amount in
the Trust Account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the
Underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with
respect to our Warrants. Our initial stockholders, 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 any founder shares and any Public Shares
held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions in Conjunction with a Stockholder Vote on our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a
stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business
combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder
approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would typically require
stockholder approval. We intend to conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to seek
stockholder approval for business or other reasons.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
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file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and
the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
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Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our Sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A Common Stock in
the open market if we elect to redeem our Public Shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and
we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of Public
Shares which are not purchased by our Sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem Public Shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial
business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our
initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will,
pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
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conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and
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file proxy materials with the SEC.
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In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption
rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business
combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the
company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and pursuant to the letter agreement, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any Public Shares purchased during or after
the Initial Public Offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written
notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will
consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides 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 upon
consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in
the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working
capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to
pay for all shares of Class A Common Stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash
available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A Common Stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the
tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as
defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the Initial Public Offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” Such
restriction shall also be applicable to our affiliates. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption
rights against a proposed initial business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public
stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the Initial Public Offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current
market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in the Initial Public Offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of
stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net
worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our
initial business combination within such 24-month period or during any extended time that we have to consummate an initial business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation (an “Extension Period”), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of
interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating
distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each
case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our Warrants, which will expire worthless if
we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 24-month time period.
Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior
to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials or to deliver
their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination at the holder’s option. The tender offer or
proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our Public Shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will
include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer
period, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer
rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a
draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Given the relatively short exercise
period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their Public Shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian)
System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $80 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether
or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy
materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption
rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the
completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually
delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of
the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business
combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or two business days prior to the scheduled date of the stockholder meeting set forth in
our proxy materials, as applicable (unless we elect to allow additional withdrawal rights). Furthermore, if a holder of a Public Share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to
the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our Public
Shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the
applicable pro rata share of the Trust Account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed initial business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete an initial business combination with a different target until 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period.
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 blank check
companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic business combinations. 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 we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources.
This inherent limitation may give others with greater resources an advantage in pursuing the initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their
redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding Warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of
these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Employees
We currently have two officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we
have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time 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 initial 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.
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
Form 10-K, before making a decision to invest in our Units, Warrants or Class A Common Stock. 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 Business and the Initial Business Combination
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business
combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing
requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, the NYSE rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder
approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our
outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business
combination or will allow stockholders 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. Accordingly, we may consummate our
initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our outstanding Public Shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination,
regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and any Public Shares held by them in favor of our initial business
combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 16,875,001, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional Units is not exercised), of the
45,000,000 Public Shares sold in the Initial Public Offering to be voted in favor of a transaction, in order to have such initial business combination approved. We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at
least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be
received than would be the case if our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your
shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the initial business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete
an initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote.
Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period
of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets,
which may make it difficult for us to enter into an initial business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too
many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable
to the Underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting
commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all
properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions or such greater amount necessary to
satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination (including, potentially, with the same target). Prospective
targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming
stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable
business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we will need to structure the
transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price or
requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to meet such requirements or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for
redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the Trust Account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive
equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of Class A shares on a
greater than one to one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our
capital structure.
The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial
business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the Trust Account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the
probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful 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 stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the Trust Account. In either situation, you may suffer a
material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe may give potential target businesses leverage over us in
negotiating an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business
combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from
the closing of the Initial Public Offering or seek a stockholder approved extension of such period. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete
our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition,
we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
The due diligence process that we undertake in connection with our initial business combination may not reveal all facts that may be relevant in connection with an
investment.
We plan to conduct due diligence in connection with our initial business combination that we deem reasonable and appropriate based on the facts and circumstances applicable. When conducting due
diligence, we may be required to evaluate important and complex business, financial, tax, accounting, technological, environmental, social, governance and legal and regulatory issues. Outside consultants, legal advisors and accountants may be
involved in the due diligence process in varying degrees depending on the target of the potential business combination and the parties involved. Nevertheless, when conducting due diligence and making an assessment regarding a potential business
combination, we will rely on the resources available to us, including information provided by the target of the potential business combination and, in some circumstances, third-party investigations, and such an investigation will not necessarily
result in the business combination ultimately being successful.
Moreover, the due diligence investigation that we will carry out may not reveal or highlight all relevant facts (including bribery, fraud or other illegal activities) or risks that are necessary or
helpful in evaluating such potential business combination. Instances of bribery, fraud, accounting irregularities and other improper, illegal or corrupt practices can be difficult to detect. Such misconduct may undermine our due diligence efforts
with respect to the target of the potential business combination. Further, we may not identify or foresee future developments that could have a material adverse effect on the target, such as misconduct by personnel at the target. Financial fraud or
other deceptive practices, or failures by such personnel to comply with anti-bribery, trade sanctions or other legal and regulatory requirements, could cause significant legal, reputational and business harm to us.
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 ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread
health crisis that has and will continue to adversely affect economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination may also be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to conduct due diligence and have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel,
vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner, or if COVID-19 causes a prolonged economic downturn. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, and the inability to accurately
predict the future impact of the pandemic on businesses, has also made determinations and negotiations of valuation more difficult, which could make it more difficult to consummate a business combination transaction.
The extent to which COVID-19 ultimately impacts our identification and consummation of 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 and spread of COVID-19 and actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, among others. While vaccines for COVID-19 are being, and have been developed, there is no guarantee that
any such vaccine will be durable and effective consistent with current expectations and we expect it will take significant time before the vaccines are available and accepted on a significant scale. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other
matters of global concern continue for an extended 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 coordinate as a team or to consummate a business combination may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be adversely impacted by COVID-19
and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third party financing being available on terms acceptable to us or at all.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose
of winding up and we would redeem our Public Shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our Warrants will expire worthless.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. We may not be able
to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all
operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit
in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of
then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as
reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors
and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our Warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share
on the redemption of their shares.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase Public
Shares or Public Warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A Common Stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our Sponsor,
directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase Public Shares or Public Warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, they have
no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the Trust Account will be used to purchase Public Shares or Public Warrants
in such transactions.
Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to
exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase Public Shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their
redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the
likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial
business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of Public Warrants could be to reduce the number of Public Warrants outstanding or to vote such Warrants on any matters
submitted to the Warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any
such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A Common Stock 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.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our Public Shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the
procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a
stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will
furnish to holders of our Public Shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem Public Shares, which may include the requirement that a
beneficial holder must identify itself. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to
our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initial vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy
materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of the 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 identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we had net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of the Initial Public Offering and the
sale of the Private Placement Warrants and 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 will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419.
Moreover, if the 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 stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group”
of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A Common Stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A Common Stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the
Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in the Initial Public Offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would
not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete
our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if
we complete our initial business combination. 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 stock in open market transactions, potentially at a
loss.
Because of our special purpose acquisition company structure and 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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our Public Shares, or less
than such amount in certain circumstances, and our Warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check
companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of
companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar technical, human and other resources to ours, 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 the 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,
because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A Common Stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may present closing risk by reducing the
resources available to us for our initial business combination. Additionally, potential target companies may be less inclined to consummate a transaction with us because definitive documentation for such a transaction will preclude any recourse
against our Trust Account, meaning that potential counterparties may determine that they do not have adequate contractual remedies in the event a transaction fails to close. These factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully
negotiating an initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our Warrants will expire
worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation.
If the net proceeds of the 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 next 24 months, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our Warrants
will expire worthless.
The funds available to us outside of the Trust Account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed
during that time. We believe that the funds available to us outside of the Trust Account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available
to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in
letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business
combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or other 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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public
stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our Warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our
liquidation.
If the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the
Private Placement Warrants not being held in the Trust Account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans
from our Sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to
complete our initial business combination.
As of December 31, 2020, we had cash of $1,087,876 held outside of the trust. 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. None of our Sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only
from funds held outside the Trust Account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into private placement-equivalent Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Warrant
at the option of the lender. 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 obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we do not 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 stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our
redemption of our Public Shares, and our Warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the Trust Account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may
be less than $10.00 per share.
Our placing of funds in the Trust Account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent
registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account for the
benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the Trust Account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent
inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in
the Trust Account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement
with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our
acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. WithumSmith+Brown, PC, our independent
registered public accounting firm, and the Underwriters of the Initial Public Offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the Trust Account.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are
believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where 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 do not 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 ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially
held in the Trust Account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to a letter agreement, 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 similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per
Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, 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 the 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 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 $10.00 per Public
Share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your Public Shares. None of our officers, directors or members of our
Sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
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:
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restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
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restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
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In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
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registration as an investment company;
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adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
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reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can
qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading
“investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete an initial business combination and
thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a
passive investor.
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We do not believe that our 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. The Trust Account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in
connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of
our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business
combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period, our return of the funds held in the Trust Account to our public stockholders 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 an initial business combination or may result in our liquidation. If we do not complete our initial business
combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our Warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and
complete our initial business combination and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, are required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. It is possible that we
will become subject to different or heightened rules or requirements promulgated by the SEC, and we may become subject to heightened or increased scrutiny by the SEC. On December 10, 2020, the SEC’s office of Investor Education and Advocacy issued
an investor bulletin entitled What you Need to Know About SPACs. On December 22, 2020, the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance issued CF Disclosure Guidance: Topic No. 11 regarding special purpose
acquisition companies. 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. In particular, it is possible that we may become subject to different or heightened rules or
requirements, or face increased regulatory scrutiny, by the SEC. These changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations, and we may not have launched our Company had we been subject to these
changes in laws, regulations or increased regulatory scrutiny at the time of the Initial Public Offering. 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.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future
exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A Common Stock.
Pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in the Initial Public Offering, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that
we register the shares of Class A Common Stock into which our founder shares are convertible, the Private Placement Warrants, the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants held, or to be held, by them,
and holders of Warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such Warrants or the Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of such Warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these
securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A Common Stock. In addition, the existence of the registration
rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to
offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A Common Stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders or holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.
We will not, under the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company
with nominal operations. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or
an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to
evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these
risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our Units will ultimately prove to be more
favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a
reduction in the value of their securities.
Such stockholders 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.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management team’s area of expertise.
We will consider an initial business combination outside of our management team’s area of expertise if an initial business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate
offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate in our management team’s area of expertise after having expended a reasonable amount of time and effort in an attempt to do so.
Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you
that an investment in our securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in an initial business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business
combination outside of the areas of our management team’s expertise, our management team’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this Form 10-K regarding the areas of our
management team’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any
stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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 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 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 stockholders may exercise their redemption rights,
which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we
decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we
do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our Warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public
stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings,
which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks
inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. 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 are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no
assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required
to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on
the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable,
related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our
initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A Common Stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution
provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock,
par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of today there are 155,000,000 and 8,750,000 authorized but unissued shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B common stock, respectively,
available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the shares of Class A Common Stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding Warrants. There are no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common
stock are convertible into shares of our Class A Common Stock initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A Common Stock or equity-linked securities
related to our initial business combination. Shares of Class B common stock are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial
business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A Common Stock to redeem the Warrants in certain circumstances as described in this Form 10-K or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of
our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior
to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the Trust Account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.
These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our officers and directors have
agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our
initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to
stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash,
equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred
stock:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of our investors;
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may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;
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could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and
could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Units, Class A Common Stock and/or Warrants.
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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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our
Trust Account and our Warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require
substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed
transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any
such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our
public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account and our Warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the
redemption of their shares.
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, its
members or officers, directors or existing holders, which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our Sponsor, its members, and our officers and directors with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with or competitive with our
Sponsor, any of its members, our officers or directors and their respective affiliates. Our directors also serve as officers and/or board members for other entities. Such entities and entities affiliated with our Sponsor and its members, may
compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our 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 an initial 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 an initial business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion
from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with
our Sponsor, 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 stockholders as they would be absent any
conflicts of interest.
Although we expect to benefit from PJT Partners LP’s network of relationships and processes for sourcing and assessing potential acquisition targets, neither PJT
Partners LP nor any of its affiliates has any legal or contractual obligation to provide such support with or to present to us any investment opportunities that might be suitable as our initial business combination.
Although we expect to benefit from PJT Partners LP network of relationships and processes for sourcing and assessing potential acquisition targets, neither PJT Partners LP nor any of its affiliates has
any legal or contractual obligation to provide such support with or to present to us any investment opportunities that might be suitable as our initial business combination. We have no advisory or other arrangement in place with PJT Partners LP
that would obligate it to undertake any such efforts on our behalf or that govern the manner in which PJT Partners LP will allocate investment opportunities. Even if PJT Partners LP refers an opportunity to us, no assurance can be given that such
opportunity will result in an acquisition agreement or our initial business combination.
PJT Partners LP provides a wide range of advisory services to a substantial and diversified client base, including in relation to the purchase or sale of businesses which may be attractive to us as
potential investments. In the course of providing such services, PJT Partners LP may advise clients that compete with us for acquisition opportunities or clients that may be suitable targets for our initial investment, and PJT Partners LP may have
fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to such third-party clients that limit or restrict its ability to assist us. These conflicts and other potential conflicts may result in PJT Partners LP taking commercial steps which may have an
adverse effect on us, and the interests of PJT Partners LP or its clients may be, at times, adverse to ours.
Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any Public
Shares they may hold), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On August 11, 2020, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,062,500 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, resulting in an effective purchase price per founder share of
approximately $0.0025. On August 27, 2020, we effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares with respect to our Class B common stock, resulting in our Sponsor holding an aggregate of 11,500,000 founder shares. On September 11, 2020, we effected a
reverse stock split resulting in our Sponsor holding an aggregate of 10,062,500 founder shares. On October 1, 2020, we effected a stock dividend of 1,437,500 shares with respect to our Class B common stock, resulting in our initial stockholders
holding an aggregate of 11,500,000 founder shares. On October 15, our Sponsor forfeited 250,000 founder shares as a result of the Underwriters’ partial exercise of their over-allotment option. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not
complete an initial business combination. Additionally, members of our management team indirectly own our securities, including founder shares, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target
business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
In addition, our Sponsor and an affiliate of PJT Partners LP purchased an aggregate of 11,000,000 Private Placement Warrants for a purchase price of $11,000,000, or $1.00 per Warrant, that will also be
worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
The personal and financial interests of our Sponsor, its members, and our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an
initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial business combination nears.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete an initial business combination, which may adversely affect our
leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date hereof to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial
business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the Trust Account. As such, no issuance of
debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the Trust Account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
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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;
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
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our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
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using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make
capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;
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limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
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other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
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We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of the 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 services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.
Of the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, $276,000,000 is available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and
expenses (which includes $9,660,000 for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to
effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC
that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may
subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the
resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for
our success may be:
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solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or
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dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
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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.
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We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business
combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the
simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated
industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence
investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately
address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial
business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our initial business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about
private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as
profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete an initial business
combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net
tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public
stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the
tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our Sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares
of Class A Common Stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will
not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of Class A Common Stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other
governing instruments. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instrument in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that
some of our stockholders or Warrant holders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant
agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to
amend our charter or governing instruments, including to extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the
agreement governing the release of funds from our Trust Account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the Trust Account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially
reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of the
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 stockholders as described herein and including to permit
us to withdraw funds from the Trust Account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled
to vote thereon, 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 common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue
additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own 20%, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-initial
business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any
breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the
substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the
Initial Public Offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A
Common Stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares. These agreements are contained in a
letter agreement that we have entered into with our initial stockholders. Our other stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our Sponsor, officers or
directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
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 intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants. As a result, we may be required to seek
additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to
complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, the amount of additional financing we
may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant
number of Public Shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase Public Shares in connection with our initial business combination. If we do
not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise
and income taxes on the liquidation of our Trust Account, and our Warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the
operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business.
None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business
combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our Trust Account, and our Warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less
than $10.00 per share upon the liquidation of the Trust Account.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business
combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma
financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We would include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be
reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and
the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential
target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy or tender offer rules and complete our initial business combination
within the prescribed timeframe.
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, 2021. 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 company with which we seek to
complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of
additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with
companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
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higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;
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rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
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complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
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laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
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tariffs and trade barriers;
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regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
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longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
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tax issues, including but not limited to tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
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currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
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cultural and language differences;
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employment regulations;
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changes in industry, regulatory or environmental standards within the jurisdictions where we operate;
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public health or safety concerns and governmental restrictions, including those caused by outbreaks of pandemic disease such as the COVID-19 pandemic;
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crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;
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deterioration of political relations with the United States; and
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government appropriations of assets.
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We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other
charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular
target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we
may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may
arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of
this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt
held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a
reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value 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 initial business combination constituted an
actionable material misstatement or omission.
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 may structure an initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target
business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company 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 stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For
example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of Class A Common Stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target.
However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such
transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more
likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. 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 have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target
business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of
time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management
not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders
following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Risks Relating to our Management Team
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our 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. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of
our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key
personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be
ascertained.
Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the
management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we employ after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.
These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such
requirements. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could
negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time.
Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that
members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote
to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our
search for an initial business combination and their other businesses. Although we have retained and may in the future retain consultants to perform certain services for the Company, we do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the
completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged in other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any
specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to
such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those
intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and 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. Our officers and directors are, and may in the future
become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties.
Any such opportunities may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, and our directors and officers may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be
presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our
interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally
and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates (including our Sponsor and the members or our Sponsor) from having a direct or indirect
pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into an initial business combination with a target business that is
affiliated with our Sponsor, any of its members, our directors or officers, or we may pursue an affiliated joint acquisition opportunity with any such persons. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for
their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Securities
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the Trust Account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you
may be forced to sell your Public Shares or Warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection
with those shares of Class A Common Stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any Public Shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our Public Shares if we do not complete our
initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our
Public Shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other
circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the Trust Account. Holders of Warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the Trust Account with respect to the Warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your
investment, you may be forced to sell your Public Shares or Warrants, potentially at a loss.
The NYSE 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.
Each of our Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants are currently listed on the NYSE. Although we expect to continue meet the minimum listing standards set forth in the NYSE listing standards, we
cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must
maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public stockholders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we
will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For
instance, in order for our Class A Common Stock to be listed upon the consummation of our initial business combination, at such time, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our global market capitalization would
be required to be at least $200,000,000, the aggregate market value of publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $100,000,000 and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot holders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to
meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on
an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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reduced liquidity for our securities;
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a determination that our Class A Common Stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A Common Stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of
trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
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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 Common Stock and Warrants are listed on the NYSE, our Units, Class A Common Stock and Warrants are covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal
statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not
aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these
powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to
regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
Unlike many other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of Class A Common Stock if we issue shares to
consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A Common Stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holders, on a one-for-one basis, subject to
adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A Common Stock, or equity-linked securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Common Stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts
offered in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares shall convert into Class A Common Stock will be adjusted so that the number of Class A Common Stock issuable
upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of all outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of the Initial Public Offering, plus (ii) all shares of
Class A Common Stock and equity-linked securities issued, or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination, and
any private placement-equivalent Warrants issued to our Sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us). This is different from most other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial stockholder will only be
issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination.
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. As a result, the exercise price of your Warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of a Warrant could be decreased,
all without your approval.
Our Warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms
of the Warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that
adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of Public Warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Public Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants approve of
such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Public Warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase
the exercise price of the Warrants, convert the Warrants into cash or stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A Common Stock purchasable upon exercise of a Warrant.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and
exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our Warrants, which could limit the ability of Warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement 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 of the forum provisions of our warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States
District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our Warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the
State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such Warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such
Warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such Warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a Warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits.
Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such
matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your Warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per Warrant, provided that the last reported sales price
of our Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A Common Stock and equity-linked securities) for any 20
trading days within the 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. 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. Redemption of the outstanding Warrants could force you (i) to exercise your Warrants and
pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your Warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your Warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption
price which, at the time the outstanding Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your Warrants. None of the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us (except as described elsewhere
in this Form 10-K) so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
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 closing price of our Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations,
recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A Common Stock and equity-linked securities) for any 20 trading days within the 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give 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 shares of Class A Common Stock
determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of shares of our Class A Common Stock. The value received upon exercise of the Warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their
Warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) where exercised on a cashless basis, may not compensate the holders for the value of the Warrants, including because the number of shares received is capped at 0.361 shares
of Class A Common Stock per whole Warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the Warrants.
None of the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by us, except as otherwise described in this Form 10-K, so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Our Warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A Common Stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial
business combination.
We issued Warrants to purchase 22,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, at $11.50 per share, as part of the Units offered in the Initial Public Offering and we issued in a Private Placement Warrants
to purchase an aggregate of 11,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, at $11.50 per share. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 11,250,000 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock on
a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our Sponsor makes any working capital loans, up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into Warrants, at the price of $1.00 per Warrant at the option of the
lender. Such Warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A Common Stock to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A Common Stock
upon exercise of these Warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A Common Stock and
reduce the value of the shares of Class A Common Stock issued to complete the initial business combination. Therefore, our Warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial business combination or increase the cost of
acquiring the target business.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Warrants sold as part of the Units in the Initial Public Offering except that, so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted
transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us (except as described elsewhere in this Form 10-K), (ii) they (including the Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of these Warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be
transferred, assigned or sold by our Sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) they are entitled to registration rights.
Because each Unit contains one-half of one redeemable Warrant and only a whole Warrant may be exercised, the Units may be worth less than Units of other blank
check companies.
Each Unit contains one-half of one redeemable Warrant. No fractional Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at
least three Units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole Warrant. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose Units include one share of common stock and one Warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the
components of the Units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the Warrants upon completion of an initial business combination since the Warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one third 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 they included a
Warrant to purchase one whole share.
An active trading market for our securities may not exist, 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. Furthermore, an active trading market for our
securities may not exist or be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might
be willing to pay in the future for our Class A Common Stock and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These
provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only
holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market
prices for our securities.
We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make 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.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors, upon the listing of our shares on the NYSE, the NYSE may
consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the NYSE rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
Only holders of our founder shares currently have the right to vote on the election of directors. As a result, the NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE
corporate governance standards. Under the NYSE 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:
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we have a board that includes a majority of ‘independent directors,’ as defined under the rules of the NYSE;
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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
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We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE, 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 stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance requirements.
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Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our Sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the Trust Account
available for distribution to our public stockholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the Trust Account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust
Account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no
indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent
directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative
to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for
distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive (and any other persons who may become an officer
or director prior to the initial business combination will also be required to waive) any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account and not to seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason
whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the Trust Account due to their ownership of Public Shares). 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 stockholders 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 stockholders. Furthermore, a
stockholder’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.
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 public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.
The net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, in the amount of $450,000,000, are being held in an interest-bearing Trust Account.
The proceeds held in the Trust Account may only be invested in direct U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S.
government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market
Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay
income taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their share of the proceeds held in the Trust Account, plus any interest income.
If the balance of the Trust Account is reduced below $450,000,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the Trust Account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed
against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any
distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts
received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public
stockholders from the Trust Account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed
against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may
be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the Trust Account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the
proceeds held in the Trust Account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any
bankruptcy claims deplete the Trust Account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, our public stockholders may be forced to
wait beyond such 24 months before redemption from our Trust Account.
If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds 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 taxes (less up to $100,000 of the interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our Public Shares, as
further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the Trust Account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to
wind-up, liquidate the Trust Account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL.
In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or the expiration of any Extension Period before the redemption proceeds of our Trust Account become available to them, and they receive
the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our Trust Account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption of Public Shares or liquidation unless we complete our initial business combination
prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A Common Stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete our initial business
combination.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our Trust
Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our Public Shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period
may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a
60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating
distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any
liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our Public Shares as soon as reasonably possible following the end of the 24th month after the closing of the
Initial Public Offering or the expiration of any Extension Period in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and
pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the ten years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for
prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL,
any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be
barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of
distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our Trust Account distributed to our public stockholders upon the
redemption of our Public Shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or during any Extension Period is not considered a liquidating distribution under
Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the
DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate
protections provided by such a meeting.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by the NYSE) and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the
DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders
want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.
Until we hold an annual meeting of stockholders, public stockholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, prior to our business combination (a) as holders of our Class A common stock, our
public stockholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors and (b) holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason.
Holders of Class A Common Stock will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination and, upon consummation
of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders will have certain rights to designate individuals for nomination for election as directors.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our Public Shares will not be entitled to vote on the
election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have
any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
We are not registering the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this
time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise Warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its Warrants except on a cashless basis. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of
Warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such Warrant will not be entitled to exercise such Warrant and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless.
We are not registering the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the
warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration
statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60
business days following our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of the registration statement, and a current prospectus relating to the Class A Common Stock 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 shares of Class A Common Stock 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 shares of our Class A Common Stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be
based on a formula subject to a maximum number of shares equal to 0.361 shares of our Class A Common Stock per Warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no Warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to
issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their Warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from state registration
is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their Warrants on a cashless basis. Notwithstanding the above, if shares of our Class A Common Stock are at the time of any exercise of a
Public Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their
Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially
reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any Warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange
for the Warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the Warrants under applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption 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 shares of Class A Common Stock included in the Units. 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.
The Warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the shares of Class A Common Stock, and you will not have any information regarding
such other security at this time.
In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the Warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the shares of Class A Common Stock.
As a result, if the surviving company redeems your Warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the
surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the Warrants within 15 business days of the closing of an initial business combination.
If you exercise your Public Warrants on a “cashless basis,” you will receive fewer shares of Class A Common Stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise
such Warrants for cash.
There are circumstances in which the exercise of the Public Warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. First, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A Common
Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, Warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise Warrants on
a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Second, if a registration statement covering the Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is not effective within a specified period
following the consummation of our initial business combination, Warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement,
exercise Warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available; if that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to
exercise their Warrants on a cashless basis. Third, if we call the Public Warrants for redemption, under certain circumstances, Warrant holders will be able to exercise their Warrants on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless
basis, a holder would pay the Warrant exercise price by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Class A Common Stock equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A
Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A Common Stock (defined above) over the exercise price of the Warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361 per whole Warrant, and the
number of shares of our Class A Common Stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised the Warrant for cash.
For example, if the holder is exercising 875 Public Warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the shares of our Class A Common Stock have a fair market value of $17.50 per share when
there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 shares of our Class A Common Stock. The holder would have received 875 shares of our Class A Common Stock if the exercise price was paid in
cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the Warrant holder will hold a smaller number of shares of our Class A Common Stock upon a cashless exercise of the Warrants they
hold.
Our initial stockholders hold a substantial interest in us and will control the appointment of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business
combination. As a result, they will appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our initial stockholders own shares representing approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a
stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional
shares of common stock in the market or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our
Class A Common Stock. In addition, prior to our initial business combination, our initial stockholders will have the right to appoint all of our directors and may remove members of the board of directors for any reason. Holders of our Public Shares
will have no right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by a majority of the founder shares. As a result, you
will not have any influence over the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all
of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be
considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of
our initial business combination.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available
to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are
applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure
obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute
payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that
status earlier, including if the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A Common Stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 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.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions
against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder
bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other
employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have
consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery
(and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of
Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or
otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an
alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for any action arising under the Securities Act. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum
that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance
with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur
additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions.
Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not
apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that,
unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a
cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the
federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or
the rules and regulations thereunder.
General Risk Factors
We are a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
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 with one or more target
businesses. We may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Past performance by members of our management team and our Sponsor may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, members of our management team and our Sponsor is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance,
including related to acquisitions, of members of our management team and/or our Sponsor is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results
with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record and performance of members of our management team and/or our Sponsor as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or
the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
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.
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the
risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities
are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative
expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from seeking a business combination target.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may
result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we
may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.