ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
We are a blank check
company incorporated in Delaware 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 Report as our initial business combination.
We are an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, we are subject to all of the risk associated with early stage and emerging
growth companies.
In November 2018,
our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per
share. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. On
July 13, 2020, we effected a stock split resulting in our sponsor holding 10,062,500 founder shares. On July 29, 2020, our sponsor
transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of Desirée Rogers and C. Park Shaper, our independent director nominees.
On August 20,
2020, the company completed its initial public offering of 35,000,000 units generating gross proceeds of $350,000,000. On August 26,
2020, the underwriters partially exercised the over-allotment option and purchased an additional 3,358,504 units, at a price of $10.00
per unit, generating gross proceeds of $33,585,040; thus, 472,874 shares of founder shares were forfeited. Each unit consists of one (1) share
of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001, and one-third (1/3) of one (1) redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the
holder thereof to purchase one (1) share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.
Concurrently with the
completion of the company’s initial public offering, the sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,181,134 private placement warrants,
including an additional 447,801 private placement warrants that were issued in connection with the exercise of the underwriters’
overallotment option, at a price of $1.50 per warrant, or $10,771,701 in the aggregate. The purchase price of the private placement warrants
was added to the net proceeds of the company’s initial public offering and placed in the trust account such that the trust account
held $383.6 million at the time of closing of the company’s initial public offering. Each whole private placement warrant entitles
the holder thereof to purchase one (1) share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to certain adjustments.
On December 3,
2020, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “merger agreement”) with STPK Merger Sub Corp., a Delaware corporation
and wholly-owned subsidiary of STPK (“Merger Sub”) and Stem, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Stem”). If the
merger agreement is adopted by Stem’s stockholders, the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the
issuance of common stock of STPK (“New Stem Common Stock”) to be issued or reserved as the merger consideration, is approved
by STPK’s stockholders, and the merger is subsequently completed, Merger Sub will merge with and into Stem, with Stem surviving
the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of STPK (the “merger” or the “Proposed Transaction”).
Immediately prior
to the effective time of the merger, each outstanding share of Stem common stock, including common stock held by prior owners of
Stem preferred stock (other than shares owned by Stem as treasury stock, dissenting shares and restricted shares) (“Existing
Stem Common Stock”), will be cancelled and converted into the right to receive a pro rata portion of approximately 65,000,000
shares of New Stem Common Stock (less any shares of New Stem Common Stock that will be issuable upon exercise of certain outstanding
options and warrants to purchase capital stock of Stem that remain outstanding after the merger).
The total number
of shares of New Stem Common Stock expected to be issued in the merger at the closing of the merger is approximately 65,000,000
(including shares of New Stem Common Stock that will be issuable upon exercise of certain outstanding options and warrants to
purchase capital stock of Stem that remain outstanding after the merger), and holders of shares of Stem common stock as of
immediately prior to the closing of the merger (and following the conversion of Stem preferred stock, Stem Warrants and Convertible
Notes into New Stem Common Stock) will hold, in the aggregate, approximately 48% and 66.9% of the issued and outstanding shares of
New Stem Common Stock immediately following the closing of the merger, assuming no shares of STPK common stock are redeemed and the
maximum number of shares of STPK common stock are redeemed, respectively. We intend to list the combined company’s common
stock and public warrants on the NYSE under the symbols STEM and STEM WS, respectively, upon the closing of the merger. STPK will
not have units traded following closing of the merger.
Consummation of the
transactions contemplated by the merger agreement are subject to customary conditions of the respective parties, including receipt of
approval from stockholders of each of STPK and Stem for consummation of the merger and certain other actions related thereto by our stockholders.
For additional information
regarding Stem, the merger agreement and transactions relating thereto, see the proxy statement/consent solicitation statement/prospectus
initially filed by STPK on December 17, 2020.
Other than as specifically
discussed, this report does not assume the closing of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.
Business Strategy
Our business strategy
is to identify, combine with and maximize the value of a company seeking to be a market leader in, and/or benefit from the increasing
global initiatives to improve the efficiency of our energy ecosystems and reduce emissions, which we refer to as the “Energy Transition”.
In executing this strategy, we look for a target that (i) complements the experience of our management team and the Magnetar Energy &
Infrastructure Group, (ii) can benefit from our team’s operating and financial expertise and (iii) represents a compelling
investment opportunity for the company and our stockholders. We focus our efforts on opportunities where we feel we have a competitive
advantage and are best situated to enhance the value of the business after completion of the business combination. The ultimate goal of
this business strategy is to maximize stockholder value.
Our management team
and board of directors have an extensive network of contacts that they will leverage in their efforts to identify an attractive target
participating in the Energy Transition. Additionally, our management team and board of directors have worked together for over a decade.
We believe this existing network and long history of working together are advantages in sourcing potential business combination targets.
We also believe that our management team’s reputation, experience and track record will make us a preferred counterparty for public
and private companies participating in the Energy Transition. We also believe many privately held and publicly traded companies consider
Magnetar to be a trustworthy partner and recognize the firm’s ability to support value and enhance returns.
In addition, we believe
that the breadth of the Magnetar Energy & Infrastructure Group’s investment activities is a competitive advantage. The
Magnetar Energy & Infrastructure Group has experience across the energy infrastructure and renewables subsectors and has invested
across the capital structure in both private and publicly traded companies. As a result, the Magnetar Energy & Infrastructure
Group believes it has a strong understanding of key macro trends, investor expectations and market sentiment driving the Energy Transition.
A substantial portion
of the companies involved in the Magnetar Energy & Infrastructure Group’s historical investments would have been attractively
sized as potential targets for our initial business combination. Therefore, the Magnetar Energy & Infrastructure Group’s
ongoing implementation of its private investment strategy could be another source of targets for our initial business combination to the
extent that certain investment opportunities it reviews may not be appropriate for Magnetar’s existing investment funds, but attractive
for our company.
Following the completion
of our initial public offering, we began the process of communicating with the network of relationships of our management team, our board
of directors and their affiliates to articulate the parameters for our search for a potential target initial business combination and
began the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our
business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating targets
for our initial business combination. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating business combination opportunities, but
we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria and
guidelines. We currently intend to focus on targets that we believe:
|
•
|
are well positioned to benefit from the Energy Transition, by focusing on business or sustainable solutions that contribute to or
enable carbon emission reduction;
|
|
•
|
have a positive environmental and social impact, taking into account stakeholders, employees and the community, without sacrificing
a financial return for our stockholders;
|
|
•
|
will benefit from our management team’s operating expertise, technical expertise, structuring expertise, extensive network,
insight and capital markets expertise in the Energy Transition;
|
|
•
|
have opportunities to grow the business organically and via third-party acquisitions, accelerating the Energy Transition;
|
|
•
|
will be well received by public investors and are expected to have access to the public capital markets, including ESG-focused investors;
|
|
•
|
are engaged in activities that would benefit from what our management team and Magnetar Energy & Infrastructure Group believe
to be key macro trends driving the Energy Transition.
|
|
•
|
are expected to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders.
|
These criteria are
not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the
extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management team may deem relevant.
In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of the
above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications
related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this Report would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer
materials that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
The NYSE rules require
that we complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held
in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust
account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our board of directors
is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent
investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our stockholders may not
be provided with a copy of such opinion, nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.
We anticipate
structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company will own or acquire 100% of the 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. However, 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 the post- transaction company not to be required to register
as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the
post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business
combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target
and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of
new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling
interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately
prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial
business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired
by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into
account for purposes of the NYSE’s 80% of net assets test. If the 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 seeking stockholder approval or for purposes of a tender offer, as
applicable.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective
target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent
management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will
be made available to us. We will also utilize our transactional, financial, managerial and investment experience.
We are not prohibited
from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event
we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or
a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting
firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Our sponsor, members
of our management team and our independent directors directly or indirectly own 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. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect
to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target
business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Each of our
officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to
other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity.
Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity
to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual
obligations to present such opportunity to such other entity. 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. In addition, Magnetar and its affiliates
and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are
seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition
target. However, we do not currently expect that any such other blank check company would materially affect our ability to complete
our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors, are not required to commit any specified amount
of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business
activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders
upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide
our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the
completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit
in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest
earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including franchise and income
taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to certain limitations. There will be no redemption rights
upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, Sponsor, officers
and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with
respect to their founder shares and any public shares they may acquire during or after the Public Offering in connection with the
completion of our business combination.
Conduct of Redemptions Pursuant to
Tender Offer Rules
If we conduct redemptions
pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation: (a) conduct
the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and (b) 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.
Submission of Our Initial Business
Combination to a Stockholder Vote
In
the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection
therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek stockholder
approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted
in favor of the business combination. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares
and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering in favor of our initial business combination. Each public
stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether it votes for or against the proposed transaction. In addition,
our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements 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 a business combination.
In the event we
seek stockholder approval of our business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination
pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may
purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the
completion of our initial business combination. 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 shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such
purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are
prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a
tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the
going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the
purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of
any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the
likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or (ii) 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 business combination,
where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our business combination
that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our common
stock may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain
or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
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 business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide
that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting
in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking
redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the
“Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating
large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a
proposed business combination as a means to force us or our 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 this 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 this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of
a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in
connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a
certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including
Excess Shares) for or against our business combination.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation
if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation provides that we have until August 20, 2022 to complete our initial business combination. If we are
unable to complete our business combination by such date, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up;
(ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share
price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held
in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, including 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 business combination by August 20, 2022.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating
and selecting a target business for our business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business
objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses
seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business
combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other
resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent
limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection
with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination
and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses.
Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
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 that
they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination
and the stage of the business combination process we are in.
Available Information
We
are required to file Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q with the SEC on a regular basis, and are
required to disclose certain material events (e.g., changes in corporate control, acquisitions or dispositions of a significant amount
of assets other than in the ordinary course of business and bankruptcy) in a Current Report on Form 8-K. The SEC maintains an Internet
website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with
the SEC. The SEC’s Internet website is located at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, we will provide copies of these documents
without charge upon request from us in writing at 1603 Orrington Avenue, 13th Floor, Evanston, Illinois 60201 or by telephone number
at (847) 905-4500.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in
our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other
information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the prospectus associated with our initial public offering, before making
a decision to invest in our securities. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results
may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part
of your investment. For risk factors related to the Business Combination, see the Proxy Statement/Consent Solicitation/Prospectus initially
filed by STPK on December 17, 2020.
We are a recently formed blank check
company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a recently formed
company with no operating results. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve
our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We may be unable to complete
our business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Past performance by our management team
is not indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding
performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience
and performance of our management team is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate
for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You
should not rely on the historical record of the performance of our management team as being indicative of the future performance of an
investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded
an opportunity to vote on our proposed 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 choose not to
hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination if the business combination would not require stockholder approval
under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, 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 and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete
our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment
decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
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 a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public
stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the 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.
If we seek stockholder approval of our
initial business combination, our initial stockholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination,
regardless of how our public stockholders vote.
We expect that
our initial stockholders will own at least approximately 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the
completion of our initial public offering. Our initial stockholders and management team also may from time to time purchase shares
of Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be
approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares.
Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders and
management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite
stockholder approval for such initial business combination.
The ability of our public stockholders
to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make
it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to
enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have
a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be
able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no
event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001.
Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001
upon consummation of our initial business combination or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described
above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate
business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business
combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public stockholders
to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination
or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we
enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption
rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be
submitted for redemption. If our 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 are
submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the
cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity
issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to
complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The 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 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 24 months after the closing of our initial public offering may give potential target businesses leverage
over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have to conduct due diligence on potential business combination
targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that
would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential
target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our
initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering. Consequently, such target business
may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business
combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target
business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to
conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more
comprehensive investigation.
Our search for a business combination,
and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent
coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
In
December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to
spread throughout the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the
outbreak of the coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On
January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United
States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization
characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted and a significant outbreak of other
infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets
worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and
adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19
continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to 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. The extent to which
COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be
predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or
treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive
period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately
consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be
dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a
result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to
us or at all.
We may not be able to complete our
initial business combination within the 24 months after the closing of our initial public offering, in which case we would cease all
operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public
stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public
stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may not be
able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of our
initial public offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market
conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. If we have not completed our initial
business combination within such time period (subject to our ability to seek an extension of such 24-month period as described
herein), we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible
but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the
aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not
previously released to us to pay our taxes, including 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. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds
held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per
share” and other risk factors below.
If we are unable to
complete an initial business combination within the 24-month period, we may seek an amendment to our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation to extend the period of time we have to complete an initial business combination beyond 24 months. Our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation requires that such an amendment be approved by holders of 65% of our outstanding common stock.
If we seek stockholder approval of our
initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public
stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A
common stock.
If we seek stockholder
approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to
the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions
or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation
to do so.
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 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 any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood
of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires
us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement
would otherwise not be met. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock and
the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing
or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a stockholder fails to receive notice
of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering
its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply
with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our business
combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer
materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy
solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our
initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender
public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are
record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to
the date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to
the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to
deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other
procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
You will not have any rights or interests
in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced
to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our
public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (a) the
completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such
stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares
properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to
modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A common stock the right to have their shares
redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our
initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (ii) with respect to any other
provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if
we have not consummated our business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, subject to
applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 24
months from the closing of our initial public offering for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a
plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust
account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering
before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of
any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants,
potentially at a loss.
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.
Our securities are
currently listed on the NYSE. However, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or 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. 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, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and we must have 400 round lot holders upon the
consummation of our initial business combination. We may not be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE delists
our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect
our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences,
including:
|
•
|
a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
|
|
•
|
reduced liquidity for our securities;
|
|
•
|
a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A
common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading
market for our securities;
|
|
•
|
a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
|
|
•
|
a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
|
The National Securities
Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities,
which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units, Class A common stock and warrants are listed on the
NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating
the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and,
if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case.
While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies,
other than the state of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers,
or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer
listed on 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.
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 our 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 business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess
Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our 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 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 limited resources and
the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the
funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We
have encountered and continue to expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to
ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other
entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and
entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of
companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and
other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources are relatively limited when contrasted with
those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net
proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the
acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent
competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are
obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business
combination, in conjunction with a stockholder vote or via a tender offer. Target businesses will be aware that this may reduce the
resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage
in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public
stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public
stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00
per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account
could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other
risk factors below.
If the net proceeds of our initial public
offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for
at least 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering, 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 24 months from the closing of
our initial public offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon
the closing of our initial public offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to
operate for 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate.
Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our
search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop”
provision (a provision in letters of intent 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 business combination,
although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive
exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or
otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target
business. If we are unable to 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 our initial public
offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for
at least the next 24 months, 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 a business combination,
to pay our taxes, including 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.
Of
the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $2,000,000 will
be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. 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 we 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. 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 waive all rights to
seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have
sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public
stockholders may only receive an estimated $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.
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 in relation to a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues
through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not
later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or
incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies
certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary
risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we
report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of
this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing
debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders who
choose to remain stockholders following the 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.
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.
Examples
of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party
consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other
consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to
execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future
as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust
account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our business combination within the
prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our business combination, we will be required to
provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following
redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per public
share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if
and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm and the underwriters of
our initial public offering) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have
entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the
amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 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, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, provided that
such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all
rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our
indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities
Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified
whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets
are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a
result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business
combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our
initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public
shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by
vendors and prospective target businesses.
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 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, 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 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.
If, after we distribute the proceeds
in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against
us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed
as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of
punitive damages.
If, after we distribute
the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed
against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy
laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek
to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its
fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, 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 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 business combination.
If we are deemed to
be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
|
•
|
restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
|
|
•
|
restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our business combination.
|
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome
requirements, including:
|
•
|
registration as an investment company;
|
|
•
|
adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
|
|
•
|
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 of securities and that our activities do not include investing,
reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S.
government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business is to identify and complete a business combination and
thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view
to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We
do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds
held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of
Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain
conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury
obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting
the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for
the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to
avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. Our securities are not
intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is
intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination,
(b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our
Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem
100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of our initial
public offering or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common
stock, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated our business combination within 24 months from
the closing of our initial public offering, subject to applicable law. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may
be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance
with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our
ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public 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, we are required to comply with
certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time
consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those
changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply
with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our
ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
Our 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 our initial
public offering 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 24th month from the closing of our initial public offering in the event we do not complete our
business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL.
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 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and
our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from
our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, 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 our initial public offering is not considered
a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174
of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead
of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.
We may not hold an annual meeting of
stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders
to elect directors.
In accordance with
the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first
fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual
meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent
in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial
business combination, and thus, we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting.
Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may
attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of
the DGCL.
Holders of Class A common stock
are not entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial
business combination, only holders of our founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares
are not 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 have not registered 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 and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We
have not registered 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 twenty 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 covering the issuance of such shares, and we will use our
commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial
business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those
shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or
events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the
financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop
order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the above
requirements, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of
shares of Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum
amount of shares equal to 0.361 shares 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 registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise
of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security”
under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their
warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the
event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to 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 shall 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. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to
exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants included as part of units
sold in our initial public offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors
and officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the shares of common stock underlying their warrants while holders
of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of common stock. If and when the
warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying
shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as
set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
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 our initial public offering, our initial
stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A common stock into which founder shares are
convertible, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private
placement warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants and holders of
warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such warrants or the Class A
common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. 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, holders of our private placement warrants, holders of working capital loans or their
respective permitted transferees are registered.
Because we are not limited to a particular
industry, sector or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain
the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
Although
we expect to focus our search for a target business in the Energy Transition related sectors, we may complete a business combination
with an operating company in any industry or sector. However, we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal
operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination,
there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of
operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our 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 revenues 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 securities 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 the 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.
Because we intend to seek a business
combination with a target business or businesses in the Energy Transition related sectors, we expect our future operations to be subject
to risks associated with this industry.
We intend to focus
our search for a target business in the Energy Transition related sectors. Investment vehicles managed by Magnetar have historically invested
in companies in the broader energy infrastructure and renewables sectors. We have identified several trends of potential interest including
renewable energy generation, biofuels, carbon capture, hydrogen technologies, fuel cells, electric vehicle infrastructure, transportation,
mobility, energy transportation and storage and other Energy Transition technologies. We may also pursue companies that operate in the
conventional energy sector but have business strategies that are likely to benefit from the Energy Transition. Accordingly, we may pursue
a target business in these sectors or any other sector within the energy and infrastructure sector. Because we have not yet selected or
approached any specific target business or sector, we cannot provide specific risks of any business combination.
However, risks inherent in investments in
the energy and infrastructure sector include, but are not limited to, the following:
|
•
|
Volatility of oil and natural gas prices;
|
|
•
|
Price and availability of alternative fuels, such as solar, coal, nuclear and wind energy;
|
|
•
|
Competitive pressures in the utility industry, primarily in wholesale markets, as a result of consumer demand, technological advances,
greater availability of natural gas and other factors;
|
|
•
|
Significant federal, state and local regulation, taxation and regulatory approval processes as well as changes in applicable laws
and regulations;
|
|
•
|
The speculative nature of and high degree of risk involved in investments in the upstream, midstream and energy services sectors,
including relying on estimates of oil and gas reserves and the impacts of regulatory and tax changes;
|
|
•
|
Drilling, exploration and development risks, including encountering unexpected formations or pressures, premature declines of reservoirs,
blow-outs, equipment failures and other accidents, cratering, sour gas releases, uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas or well fluids,
adverse weather conditions, pollution, fires, spills and other environmental risks, any of which could lead to environmental damage, injury
and loss of life or the destruction of property;
|
|
•
|
Proximity and capacity of oil, natural gas and other transportation and support infrastructure to production facilities;
|
|
•
|
Availability of key inputs, such as strategic consumables, raw materials and drilling and processing equipment;
|
|
•
|
The supply of and demand for oilfield services and equipment in the United States and internationally;
|
|
•
|
Available pipeline, storage and other transportation capacity;
|
|
•
|
Changes in global supply and demand and prices for commodities;
|
|
•
|
Impact of energy conservation efforts;
|
|
•
|
Technological advances affecting energy production and consumption;
|
|
•
|
Overall domestic and global economic conditions;
|
|
•
|
Availability of, and potential disputes with, independent contractors;
|
|
•
|
Natural disasters, terrorist acts and similar dislocations; and
|
|
•
|
Value of U.S. dollar relative to the currencies of other countries.
|
Past performance by Magnetar and other
businesses associated with our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company.
Information
regarding performance by Magnetar and other businesses associated with our management team is presented for informational purposes
only. Past performance by Magnetar and our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any
business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business
combination. You should not rely on the historical record of Magnetar or other businesses associated with our management
team’s performance as indicative of our future performance or of an investment in the company or the returns the company will,
or is likely to, generate going forward. None of Magnetar or our officers or directors have had experience with blank check
companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past.
We may seek acquisition opportunities
in industries or sectors outside of the Energy Transition related sectors (which industries may or may not be outside of our management’s
areas of expertise).
Although
we focus on identifying business combination candidates in the Energy Transition related sectors, we will consider a business
combination outside of the Energy Transition related sectors if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine
that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate
in the energy and Energy Transition infrastructure sector 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 in our initial public offering than a
direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an
acquisition outside of the Energy Transition related sectors, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its
evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the Energy Transition related sectors 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 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 entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although
we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target
business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete
our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as
successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a
prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of
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 legal 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 are unable to
complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account
that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek business combination opportunities
with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue 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, cash flows,
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, cash flows 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 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 from 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 solicitation or tender offer materials, 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 400,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share,
40,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 undesignated shares of preferred stock, par
value $0.0001 per share. There are 361,641,496 and 30,410,374 authorized but unissued Class A common stock and Class B common
stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon
exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. Our Class B common stock is automatically
convertible into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject
to adjustment as set forth herein. There are no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
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 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 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 as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial
business combination or on any other proposal presented to stockholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business
combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (x) extend the time we
have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months from the closing of our initial public offering or (y) amend the foregoing
provisions. 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 a stockholder vote. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
|
•
|
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in our initial public offering;
|
|
•
|
may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common
stock;
|
|
•
|
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things,
our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers
and directors; and
|
|
•
|
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants.
|
Resources
could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent
attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our
public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to
public stockholders, 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 requires 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 are unable to complete our initial business
combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available
for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We are dependent upon our officers and
directors, and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are
dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends
on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition,
our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts
of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring
the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or 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 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 business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will
remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure
you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating
a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers
and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business
combination 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. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our
post-combination business.
Our
key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination,
and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may
provide for them to receive compensation following our business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest
in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our
key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our business combination only if they are able to
negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place
simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in
the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business
combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such
agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a
target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our business
combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business
combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our business
combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The
determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business
combination.
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 business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the
skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills,
qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business
may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the 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.
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 officers and directors will allocate
their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs.
This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors
are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their
time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time
employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for
which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per
week to our affairs. In particular, all of our officers and certain of our directors are employed by Magnetar, which is an investment
manager to numerous investment vehicles and managed accounts which may make investments in companies that we may target for our initial
business combination. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. In addition, our initial
stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the
period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities.
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. In addition, we may be precluded from opportunities because they are being pursued by Magnetar
and TPP and they may outperform any business we acquire.
Until
we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses.
Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities 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 the other entities to which they owe
certain fiduciary or contractual duties.
Accordingly, they may
have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not
be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our 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.
In
addition, Magnetar manages numerous investment vehicles and separately managed accounts which may compete with us for acquisition
opportunities and if pursued by them we may be precluded from such opportunities for our initial business combination. Investment
ideas generated within Magnetar may be suitable for both us and for Magnetar and/or current or future investment vehicles managed by
Magnetar and may be directed to them rather than to us. Such opportunities may outperform any businesses we select for our initial
business combination. Neither Magnetar nor members of our management team who are also employed by Magnetar have any obligation to
present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, unless, in the case of any such
member of our management team, such opportunity satisfies the criteria described in the preceding paragraph. Magnetar and/or our
management, in their capacities as employees of Magnetar or in their other endeavors, may be required to present potential business
combination opportunities to other entities, before they present such opportunities to us.
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 from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or
financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest.
In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers,
although we do not intend to do so. 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.
In
particular, Magnetar is focused on investments in the energy and infrastructure sector. As a result, there may be substantial overlap
between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for Magnetar.
We may engage in a business combination
with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors
or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In
light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses
affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board
members for other entities. They may also have investments in target businesses. Such entities may compete with us for business
combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to
complete our business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions
concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting,
any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met
our criteria for a business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested
directors. Despite our obligation 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 or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as
a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any
conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors
will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may
acquire during or after our initial public offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination
target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
In
November 2018, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately
$0.009 per share. On July 13, 2020, we effected a stock split resulting in our sponsor holding of 10,062,500 founder shares. On
July 29, 2020, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of Desirée Rogers and C. Park Shaper, our independent
director nominees. On August 26, 2020, the underwriters partially exercised the over-allotment option following the closing of our
initial public offering and purchased an additional 3,358,504 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit; thus, 472,874 shares of founder shares
were forfeited. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the company by the number
of founder shares issued. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our
sponsor has purchased an aggregate of 7,181,134 private placement warrants, including an additional 447,801 private placement warrants
that were issued in connection with the exercise of the underwriters’ overallotment option, each exercisable for one share of our
Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, for an aggregate purchase price of $10,771,701, or $1.50 per warrant, that will also be
worthless if we do not complete a business combination. The personal and financial interests of 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 our initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities,
or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition
and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although
we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur
outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our business combination. We and our officers have agreed that
we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any
kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for
redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
|
•
|
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our
debt obligations;
|
|
•
|
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach
certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
|
|
•
|
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
|
|
•
|
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such
financing while the debt security is outstanding;
|
|
•
|
our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
|
|
•
|
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for
dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general
corporate purposes;
|
|
•
|
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
|
|
•
|
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government
regulation;
|
|
•
|
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements,
and execution of our strategy; and
|
|
•
|
other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
|
We may only be able to complete one business
combination with the proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be
solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively
impact our operations and profitability.
Of the net proceeds
from our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, up to $383.7 million is available to complete our business
combination and pay related fees and expenses.
We
may effectuate our 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 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:
|
•
|
solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
|
|
•
|
dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
|
This lack of diversification
may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact
upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete
business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our business combination and give rise
to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to
simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our
purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult
for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional
risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there
are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products
of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact
our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial
business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with
a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our business
combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information
generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business
combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as
we suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain
control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target
business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We
may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less
than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the
post-transaction company 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 business combination may collectively own a minority
interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination
transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares 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, 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 control of the
target business.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption
threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a 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 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 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 business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into
privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In
the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly
submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business
combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares,
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.
Our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation requires the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of our independent
directors and the director designees of our sponsor, to approve our initial business combination, which may have the effect of delaying
or preventing a business combination that our public stockholders would consider favorable.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include
a majority of our independent directors and the director designees of our sponsor, to approve our initial business combination. Accordingly,
it is unlikely that we will be able to enter into an initial business combination unless our sponsor’s members find the target
and the business combination attractive. This may make it more difficult for us to approve and enter into an initial business combination
than other blank check companies and could result in us not pursuing an acquisition target or other board or corporate action that our
public stockholders would find favorable.
In order to effectuate our initial business
combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will
make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our stockholders may not support.
In
order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their
charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the
definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business
combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash
and/or other securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time
to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
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) 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- business combination activity (including the requirement
to deposit proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts
except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) 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. Our initial stockholders, who
collectively beneficially own up to 20% of our common stock, 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- business combination behavior more
easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a 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
sponsor, executive 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 that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to
provide holders of our Class A common stock the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business
combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the
closing of our initial public offering or with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A
common stock unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon
approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust
account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes,
including franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in
a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or
third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor,
officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to
pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Certain agreements related to our initial
public offering may be amended without stockholder approval.
Each
of the agreements related to our initial public offering to which we are a party, other than the warrant agreement and the
investment management trust agreement, may be amended without stockholder approval. Such agreements are: the underwriting agreement;
the letter agreement among us and our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors; the registration and stockholder rights
agreement among us and our initial stockholders; the private placement warrants purchase agreement between us and our sponsor; and
the administrative services agreement among us, our sponsor and an affiliate of our sponsor. These agreements contain various
provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. For example, our letter agreement and the underwriting agreement
contain certain lock-up provisions with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and other securities held by our
initial stockholders, sponsor, officers and directors. Amendments to such agreements would require the consent of the applicable
parties thereto and would need to be approved by our board of directors, which may do so for a variety of reasons, including to
facilitate our initial business combination. While we do not expect our board of directors to approve any amendment to any of these
agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business
judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement. Any amendment entered
into in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender
offer materials, as applicable, related to such initial business combination, and any other material amendment to any of our
material agreements will be disclosed in a filing with the SEC. Any such amendments would not require approval from our
stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may
have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. For example, amendments to the lock-up provision discussed
above may result in our initial stockholders selling their securities earlier than they would otherwise be permitted, which may have
an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
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. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public
stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders,
and our warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe
that the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to
complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital
requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement
warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net
proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect
redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection
with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination.
We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves
to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction
or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial
business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available
for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing
to complete our 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 business combination.
Our initial stockholders 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 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 aftermarket 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, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders,
is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of
directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual 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 prior to the completion of our initial
business combination, only our initial stockholders will be able to appoint or remove directors. 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. In addition, as long as our sponsor is controlled by our founders, we have agreed not to enter into a
definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. Accordingly, our initial
stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination.
We may amend the terms of the warrants
in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants. As
a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the 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 are
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 for the
purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the
description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision,
(ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on
shares of common stock as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any
provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem
necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants,
provided that the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change
that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public
warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such
amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant
agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 65% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants.
Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 65% of the then outstanding public
warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the
warrants, 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 designates the
courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum
for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant
holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement
provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to
the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which
jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction
and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the
foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement do 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 the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a
court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign
action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal
jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such
court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such
warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant 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 for any 20 trading days
within a 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.
In addition, we may
redeem your warrants after they become exercisable for $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption
provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A common stock determined
based on the redemption date and the fair market value 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) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of shares
of common stock received is capped at 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the
remaining life of the warrants.
Our warrants and founder shares may have
an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our business combination.
We issued
warrants to purchase 11,666,667 shares of Class A common stock as part of the units offered in our initial public offering and,
simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we issued in a private placement warrants to purchase 6,733,333
shares of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. Prior to our initial public offering, our sponsor purchased 10,062,500
founder shares in a private placement. Following the closing of our initial public offering, the underwriters partially exercised
the over- allotment option and purchased an additional 3,358,504 units (including warrants to purchase an additional 1,119,501
shares of Class A common stock), at a price of $10.00 per unit; thus, 472,874 shares of founder shares were forfeited and an
additional 447,801 private placement warrants were issued. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common
stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the
like and subject to further adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor or affiliates, directors or officers make
any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.50 per warrant at the
option of the lender. To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate a 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 acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the
number of issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock
issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a
business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private
placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in our 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 otherwise set forth
herein, (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 and (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.
Because each unit contains one-third
of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains
one-third of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares,
only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one
share of common stock and one whole warrant to purchase one share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order
to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the
aggregate for one-third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making
us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth
less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
A provision of our warrant agreement
may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
If (i) we
issue additional common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial
business combination at a Newly Issued Price (as defined in the warrant agreement between CST, as warrant agent, and the Company) of
less than $9.20 per common stock, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total
equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion
of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then the
exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price,
and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of
the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively. This may make it more difficult for us to complete an
initial business combination with a target business.
We have identified a material weakness
in our internal control over financial reporting. This material weakness could continue to adversely affect our ability to report our
results of operations and financial condition accurately and in a timely manner.
Our management is responsible
for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with
GAAP. Our management is likewise required, on a quarterly basis, to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls and to disclose
any changes and material weaknesses identified through such evaluation in those internal controls. A material weakness is a deficiency,
or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material
misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
As described elsewhere
in this Annual Report, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for
a significant and unusual transaction related to the warrants we issued in connection with our initial public offering in August 2020.
As a result of this material weakness, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as
of December 31, 2020. This material weakness resulted in a material misstatement of our warrant liabilities, change in fair value
of warrant liabilities, additional paid-in capital, accumulated deficit and related financial disclosures for the Affected Periods.
To respond to this
material weakness, we have devoted, and plan to continue to devote, significant effort and resources to the remediation and improvement
of our internal control over financial reporting. While we have processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting
requirements, we plan to enhance these processes to better evaluate our research and understanding of the nuances of the complex accounting
standards that apply to our consolidated financial statements. Our plans at this time include providing enhanced access to accounting
literature, research materials and documents and increased communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we
consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we
can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects. For a discussion of management’s consideration
of the material weakness identified related to our accounting for a significant and unusual transaction related to the warrants we issued
in connection with the August 2020 initial public offering, see “Note 2—Restatement of Previously Issued Financial
Statements” to the accompanying consolidated financial statements, as well as Part II, Item 9A: Controls and Procedures
included in this Annual Report.
Any failure to maintain
such internal control could adversely impact our ability to report our financial position and results from operations on a timely and
accurate basis. If our financial statements are not accurate, investors may not have a complete understanding of our operations. Likewise,
if our financial statements are not filed on a timely basis, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the stock exchange
on which our common stock is listed, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. In either case, there could result a material adverse effect
on our business. Failure to timely file will cause us to be ineligible to utilize short form registration statements on Form S-3,
which may impair our ability to obtain capital in a timely fashion to execute our business strategies or issue shares to effect an acquisition.
Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a
negative effect on the trading price of our stock.
We can give no assurance
that the measures we have taken and plan to take in the future will remediate the material weakness identified or that any additional
material weaknesses or restatements of financial results will not arise in the future due to a failure to implement and maintain adequate
internal control over financial reporting or circumvention of these controls. In addition, even if we are successful in strengthening
our controls and procedures, in the future those controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent or identify irregularities or
errors or to facilitate the fair presentation of our consolidated financial statements.
The requirements of being a public company
may strain our resources and divert management’s attention.
As a public company,
we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer
Protection Act, the listing requirements of NYSE and other applicable securities rules and regulations. Compliance with these rules and
regulations increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase
demand on our systems and resources, particularly after we are no longer an “emerging growth company.” The Sarbanes-Oxley
Act requires, among other things, that we maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting.
In order to maintain and, if required, improve our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting to
meet this standard, significant resources and management oversight may be required. As a result, management’s attention may be diverted
from other business concerns, which could adversely affect our business and operating results. We may need to hire more employees in the
future or engage outside consultants to comply with these requirements, which will increase our costs and expenses.
Because we must furnish our stockholders
with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination
with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy
rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination include historical and pro forma
financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer
documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared
in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, or
international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the
circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential
target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose
such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the
prescribed time frame.
We are an emerging growth company and
a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements
available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and
may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging
growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions
from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but
not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from
the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments
not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be
an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market
value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case
we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our
securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result
of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less
active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of
the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until
private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class
of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS
Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging
growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period,
which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an
emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may
make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth
company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting
standards used.
Additionally, we
are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may
take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited
financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of any fiscal year for so long as either
(1) the market value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates did not exceed $250 million as of the
prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues did not exceed $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market
value of our shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates did not exceed $700 million as of the prior June 30. To
the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with
other public companies difficult or impossible.
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 our initial business combination.
Section 404
of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting 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, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm
attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes
compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies
because a target company with which we seek to complete our 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 over financial reporting of
any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such
acquisition.
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 contains 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, 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.
Our amended and restated certificate
of incorporation designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions
and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial
forum for disputes with our company or our company’s directors, officers or other employees.
Our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the
Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any
(1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a
fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee or agent of our company to our company or our stockholders, or any claim for
aiding and abetting any such alleged breach, (3) action asserting a claim against our company or any director, or officer or
employee of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or
our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director, or officer or employee of our company governed by the
internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (a) as to which the Court of
Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the
indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such
determination), (b) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or
(c) arising under the federal securities laws, including the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal
district court for the District of Delaware shall concurrently be the sole and exclusive forums. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any
other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum. Any person
or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to
have consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If any action the subject matter of
which is within the scope the forum provisions is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a
“foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the
personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in
any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”); and (y) having service of process made
upon such stockholder in any such enforcement action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent
for such stockholder.
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 our company
or its directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision
of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types
of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially
and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of
our management and board of directors.
If we pursue a target business with
operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in
connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business
combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target
a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks
associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial
business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators
or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial
business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating
in an international setting, including any of the following:
|
•
|
higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal
requirements of overseas markets;
|
|
•
|
rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
|
|
•
|
complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
|
|
•
|
laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
|
|
•
|
exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
|
|
•
|
tariffs and trade barriers;
|
|
•
|
regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
|
|
•
|
local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
|
|
•
|
unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
|
|
•
|
tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
|
|
•
|
currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
|
|
•
|
challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
|
|
•
|
cultural and language differences;
|
|
•
|
employment regulations;
|
|
•
|
underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;
|
|
•
|
protection of intellectual property;
|
|
•
|
social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
|
|
•
|
regime changes and political upheaval;
|
|
•
|
terrorist attacks and wars; and
|
|
•
|
deterioration of political relations with the United States.
|
We may not be able
to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination,
or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
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.
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.
After completion of
our initial public offering, only holders of our founder shares will 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:
|
•
|
we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of the NYSE;
|
|
•
|
we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing
the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
|
|
•
|
we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written
charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
|
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.