S-1/A 1 tm2136567d1_s1a.htm S-1/A

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 5, 2022.

 

Registration No. 333-260384

 

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

Amendment No. 2 to FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   6770   86-3720717
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

Western Acquisition Ventures Corp.
42 Broadway, 12th Floor

New York, New York 10004
Tel: 310-740-0710

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal
executive offices)

 

Stephen Christoffersen
Chief Executive Officer

Western Acquisition Ventures Corp.
42 Broadway, 12th Floor

New York, New York 10004
Tel: 310-740-0710

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

Copies to:

 

Marc Hauser, Esq.

Aron Izower, Esq.

Wendy Grasso, Esq.

Reed Smith LLP

599 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10022

Telephone 212-521-5400

Facsimile 212-521-5450

Oded Har-Even, Esq.

Ron Ben-Bassat, Esq.

Sullivan & Worcester LLP

1633 Broadway

New York, New York 10019

Telephone 212-660-3000

Facsimile 212-660-3001

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this offering.

 

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ¨

 

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non- accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

 

Large accelerated filer    ¨ Accelerated filer    ¨
Non-accelerated filer   x Smaller reporting company   x
  Emerging growth company   x

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Security being registered   Amount
Being
Registered(2)
    Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price per
Security(1)
    Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price (1)(2)
    Amount of
Registration
Fee
 
Units, each consisting of one share of common stock, $0.0001 par value and one Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of common stock(2)     11,500,000     $ 10.00     $ 115,000,000     $ 10,660.50  
Shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value, included as part of the units(3)     11,500,000                   (4) 
Warrants included as part of the units(3)     11,500,000                   (4) 
Total                   $ 115,000,000     $ 10,660.50 (5) 

 

(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

(2) Includes 1,500,000 units, consisting of 1,500,000 shares of common stock and 1,500,000 redeemable warrants with each warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of common stock, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

(3) Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

 

(4) No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).

 

(5) Previously paid.

 

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED January 5, 2022

 

$100,000,000

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

 

10,000,000 UNITS

 

Western Acquisition Ventures Corp., which we refer to as “we,” “us” or “our company,” is a newly-organized blank check company incorporated in Delaware and formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization, or other similar initial business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” Although we are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating our initial business combination, we intend to focus on transactions with companies and assets with a broad reach

 

This is an initial public offering of our securities. We are offering 10,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. Each unit consists of one share of common stock, par value $0.0001, and one warrant, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as “warrants” or the “public warrants.” Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in the prospectus. Each warrant will become exercisable on the later of one year after the closing of this offering or 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.

 

We have also granted A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, or A.G.P., the representative of the underwriters, a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units (over and above the 10,000,000 units referred to above) solely to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

We will provide the holders of our outstanding shares of common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon the consummation of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below, including interest (net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses), divided by the number of then-outstanding shares of common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to as our “public shares.”

 

2

 

We will have up to 12 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend twice the period of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by an additional 3 months (for a total of 18 months from the closing of this offering); provided, that, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, the only way to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination in the absence of a definitive agreement is for our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon 5 days’ advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, to deposit into the trust account $1,000,000, or $1,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) for each 3-month extension, or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our public stockholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with such extension.

 

If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, pro rata to our public stockholders, by way of the redemption of their shares and thereafter cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. In such event, the warrants will expire and be worthless.

 

Our sponsor, Western Acquisition Ventures Sponsor LLC, and an affiliate of A.G.P., together own an aggregate of 2,875,000 shares of our common stock (up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised).

 

Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering and regardless of whether the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The private placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. There will be no underwriting fees or commissions with respect to the private placement units.

 

There is presently no public market for our units, common stock, or warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on The Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “WAVSU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading as described in this prospectus, the shares of common stock and warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “WAVS” and “WAVSW” respectively. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq after this offering.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and will therefore be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.

 

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 29 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

      Price to
Public
    Underwriting
Discount and
Commissions(1)
    Proceeds,
Before
Expenses,
to us
 
Per unit     $ 10.00     $ 0.05     $ 9.95  
Total     $ 100,000,000     $ 500,000     $ 99,500,000  

 

  (1) The underwriters will receive compensation in addition to the underwriting discount. A.G.P., as the representative of the underwriters, will receive compensation in addition to the underwriting discount, including 750,000 representative shares that were previously transferred by our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P., 97,826 of which are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised. See “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” for further information relating to the underwriting compensation we will pay in this offering and fees payable to A.G.P. upon the consummation of the initial business combination.

 

A.G.P. has a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA Rule 5121(f)(5)(B) in this offering because, prior to this offering, it beneficially owns more than 10% of our shares. Due to this conflict of interest, The Benchmark Company, LLC, is acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” in accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, which requires, among other things, that a qualified independent underwriter participate in the preparation of, and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” with respect to, this prospectus and the registration statement of which it forms a part. The Benchmark Company, LLC will be paid a fee of $100,000 from the total underwriting discount in this offering in consideration of its services and expenses as qualified independent underwriter. See “Underwriting — Conflicts of Interest” for further information.

 

Upon consummation of the offering, $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering (whether or not the over-allotment option has been exercised in full or part) will be deposited into a United States-based trust account at American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC acting as trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our redemption of the public shares upon our failure to consummate an initial business combination within the required period.

 

The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, acting as the sole book-running manager, expects to deliver the units to purchasers on or about January 5, 2022.

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

A.G.P.

 

Co-Manager

Brookline Capital Markets

 

a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC 

 

Qualified Independent Underwriter

The Benchmark Company, LLC

 

 ,  2022

 

3

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

   Page 
     
SUMMARY   5 
      
RISKS   27 
      
SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA   29 
      
RISK FACTORS   29 
      
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS   69 
      
USE OF PROCEEDS   70 
      
DIVIDEND POLICY   71 
      
DILUTION   72 
      
CAPITALIZATION   74 
      
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS   75 
      
PROPOSED BUSINESS   78 
      
MANAGEMENT   99 
      
PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS   105 
      
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS   108 
      
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES   110 
      
SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE   117 
      
UNDERWRITING – CONFLICTS OF INTEREST   127 
      
LEGAL MATTERS   136 
      
EXPERTS   136 
      
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION   136 
      
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS   F-1 
      
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS   F-7 
      
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS   II-1 

 

4

 

SUMMARY

 

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors”, and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus:

 

  · “we,” “us” or “our company” refers to Western Acquisition Ventures Corp.;

 

  · “A.G.P.” or “representative” refers to A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, which is the representative of the underwriters in this offering;
     
  · “initial stockholders” refers to all of our stockholders immediately prior to the date of this prospectus, including our sponsor, officers and directors, and the representative, each to the extent they hold such shares;
     
  · “initial business combination” refers to our initial merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination;

 

  · “insider shares” or “founder shares” refers to the aggregate 2,125,000 shares of common stock held by our sponsor and the 750,000 representative shares (including up to an aggregate of 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part);

 

  · “private placement” refers to the private placement of 361,000 (or up to 376,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), private placement units at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering;

 

  · “private placement units” refers to the units issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering, which private placement units are identical to the units sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus;

 

  · “private placement warrants” refers to the warrants underlying the private placement units that are being issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering, which private placement warrants are identical to the public warrants sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus;

 

  · “public shares” refers to shares of our common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);

 

  · “public stockholders” refers to the holders of our public shares, whether they purchased such public shares in the public offering or thereafter in the open market, including any of our initial stockholders to the extent that they purchase such public shares (except that our initial stockholders will not have conversion or tender rights with respect to any public shares they own);

 

  ·

“public units” refers to the units sold in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);

 

  · “public warrants” refers to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market, including warrants that may be acquired by our sponsor or its affiliates in this offering or thereafter in the open market);

 

  · “representative” refers to A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners, which is the representative of the underwriters in this offering;
     
  · “representative shares” refers to 750,000 shares of our common stock transferred from our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P. as compensation to the representative and its designees, 97,826 shares of common stock of which are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised; and

 

  · “sponsor” refers to Western Acquisition Ventures Sponsor LLC.

 

Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.

 

Certain financial information contained in this prospectus has been rounded and, as a result, certain totals shown in this prospectus may not equal the arithmetic sum of the figures that should otherwise aggregate to those totals.

 

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.

 

 5 

 

 

Our Company

 

We are a blank check company recently incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting our initial business combination. Our team of experienced executives, entrepreneurs, and investors has a demonstrated track record of stakeholder value creation across multiple sectors and at different stages of growth.

 

As discussed further below, we seek to leverage and capitalize on our collective multi-faceted expertise, investing and operating experience, and broad network of relationships to source and evaluate potential transactions and create value for our stakeholders. We believe we have a deep and broad network of relationships and sector expertise to source and evaluate potential transactions, enhancing our ability to position us as a partner of choice with potential target companies. The extensive investing track record and operational experience of the management team and our board of directors, including significant public company executive and board experience are expected to enhance our credibility with prospective targets, and will allow us to be a value-added partner to the management team and stakeholders following our initial business combination. We believe our extensive M&A and capital markets experience, including SPAC experience, will enable us to execute successfully our initial business combination transaction. In addition, we believe having Alliance Global Partners as a significant stakeholder in us will serve as a key competitive advantage given their extensive access to deal flow.

 

We may pursue our initial business combination in any business or industry but intend to focus our search on a target business in an industry where we believe the expertise of our management team and our board of directors will provide us with a competitive advantage in completing a successful initial business combination. We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $500 million, determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered.

 

 6 

 

 

Our Management Team

 

Our Chief Executive Officer Stephen Christoffersen and our Chief Financial Officer William (Bill) Lischak collectively have over fifty years of industry and investment experience. Together with our board of directors, our team has combined decades of experience in growing and developing private and public companies across a range of sectors and industries. The team consists of Stephen Christoffersen, William Lischak, along with Ade Okunubi, Ali Jahangiri, Robin L. Smith, and Adam K. Stern as directors. We believe that the strong operating, industry and investment background of our management and directors, combined with their entrepreneurial expertise, will propel the company to identify a valuable acquisition target that can thrive in a public-listing environment.

 

Our board members have extensive experience, having served as directors or officers for numerous publicly listed and privately-owned companies. Our directors have experience with acquisitions, divestitures and corporate strategy and implementation, which we believe will significantly benefit us as we evaluate potential acquisition or merger candidates as well as following the completion of our initial business combination.

 

Stephen Christoffersen, CFA, our Chief Executive Officer and a Director Nominee, is an entrepreneur and investor with a proven track record in capital markets, consumer packaged goods, and emerging growth industries. As Chief Financial Officer of KushCo Holdings Inc. (OTCQX:KSHB), where he has worked since 2018, Mr. Christoffersen spearheaded KushCo’s strategic plan to right-size the business, align with the leading operators in the legal cannabis industry, and help KushCo achieve profitability for the first time in more than three years. Mr. Christoffersen led the negotiations of a definitive merger agreement between KushCo and Greenlane Holdings (NASDAQ: GNLN) which was announced March 2021 and actively led KushCo’s capital raising efforts, partnerships and strategic investments, including securing KushCo’s line of credit with Monroe Capital LLC, its partnership with C.A. Fortune, and its investment in and partnership with XS Financial, Inc., where Mr. Christoffersen currently serves as a Board member (CSE: XSF).

 

Prior to joining KushCo, Mr. Christoffersen served as Vice President, Investment Strategist for Comerica Asset Management Inc. (NYSE: CMA), from 2017 to 2018, where he managed a $500 million equity portfolio, oversaw asset allocation and investments. During that time he also advised on M&A and fundraising initiatives for several seed and growth stage companies, such as SkinnyFats, LLC and Summit Innovations LLC.  From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Christoffersen served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Lawless Jerky, LLC, where he led its financing rounds and was the financial architect behind an exit to a strategic partnership with Monogram Foods Solutions, LLC.

 

Mr. Christoffersen has also been active in several volunteering and philanthropic initiatives, including serving as a Math and Science tutor with the Save a Child Foundation at the YMCA Boys and Girls Club. He is also an Executive Sponsor for Project Mission Green, an initiative of The Weldon Project that advocates on behalf of currently or formerly incarcerated cannabis offenders who were sentenced to prison for nonviolent cannabis offenses.

 

Mr. Christoffersen received his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2015 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

 

William Lischak, CPA, MST, our Chief Financial Officer and a Director, is a senior level financial executive with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. His credentials include being a CPA and having earned a master’s degree in Taxation. Mr. Lischak has extensive M&A, corporate finance, accounting, tax, and strategic planning experience. Bill has developed a strong network of relationships with commercial and investment banks, law firms, accounting firms, and consulting firms, and is known as a dynamic team player strongly committed to working with colleagues to achieve transactional and operational goals.

 

7

 

Mr. Lischak has been the Chief Executive Officer of RightsTrade, LLC since June 2020 and worked as a consultant to the company since April 2019. Concurrently, starting in February 2020, Mr. Lischak has acted as interim CFO for Johnson Management Group, a privately held television movie production company. From February 2017 to October 2018, Mr. Lischak served as interim CFO at PIXOMONDO STUDIOS Gmbh & Company KG, a multi-national visual effects company. Working in conjunction with Houlihan Lokey, Inc., Mr. Lischak managed the company through the process of preparing for, seeking, securing and concluding a majority stake sale to private equity, which closed in July 2018.

 

From 2007 to 2015 Mr. Lischak worked with OddLot Entertainment LLC, a film and television production company founded by Gigi Pritzker, where he established the company’s position as a prominent independent production company by securing, structuring and managing corporate joint ventures and complex multi-party project financing for award winning and commercially successful films such as Hell or High Water (nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award), Ender’s Game (at the time, the largest independent film ever made, with a budget of $115 million), and Drive (which won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival). Additionally, Mr. Lischak was instrumental in the company’s expansion into television production with National Geographic’s Genius: Einstein mini-series (based upon the Walter Isaacson biography), produced in conjunction with Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment. Corporately, Mr. Lischak created a multi-picture production and distribution arrangement with Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: LGF); spearheaded a multi-picture production and distribution arrangement with STX Financing LLC (NYSE: ESGC) in conjunction with an equity investment by Ms. Pritzker’s family office and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.; and created the joint venture international sales company, Sierra/Affinity (acquired by Entertainment One Ltd. and Hasbro, Inc.).

 

Prior to joining Oddlot Entertainment LLC, Mr. Lischak worked with First Look Media, a multi-faceted production and distribution operation. Joining the company in 1988 as CFO, Mr. Lischak later assumed the roles of COO and President and was instrumental in the development and growth of the company, including its’ merger into a SPAC. In addition to the SPAC transaction, Mr. Lischak spearheaded multiple rounds of additional capital (pre and post public company status), various corporate acquisitions and established a multitude of debt financing arrangements including both lines of credit and project financing with financial institutions including JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A (NYSE: JPM)., Comerica, Inc. (NYSE: CMA), Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and NatWest Group, among others. During Bill’s tenure annual revenues increased from $6 million to $125 million.

 

Mr. Lischak graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business, where he also studied film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. We believe that Mr. Lischak’s management and business experience make him well-suited to serve as a member of our board of directors.

 

Ade Okunubi, MBA, CFA, a Director Nominee, is President of Industrial Battery Inc., an industrial battery and charger distributor and service firm. Mr. Okunubi is also a Private Equity investor in Industrial services businesses. Prior to acquiring Industrial Battery, Mr. Okunubi served as Chief Operating Officer of Techni-Tool, part of TestEquity LLC, a distributor of equipment for electronic production assembly, and Investment Associate for Arcis Equity Partners LLC, a leisure and hospitality focused private equity fund.

 

Prior to working in private equity and in operation roles, Mr. Okunubi worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS) and advised private equity firms and corporations on approximately $2.5 billion in transactions in the telecom, healthcare, retail and renewable energy sectors. Prior to Credit Suisse Group AG, Mr. Okunubi was a Merger Arbitrage and High Yield Credit Trader at Taconic Capital Advisors LP, a New York-based event driven hedge fund.

 

Mr. Okunubi, a Queens, NY native, received an AB in Economics from Princeton University, and a MBA from the Harvard Business School. Mr. Okunubi is also a CFA Charter holder and member of the CFA Society of Dallas-Ft. Worth. We believe Mr. Okunubi is well qualified to serve as an independent member of our board of directors because of his management experience and his extensive financial experience as an investor.

 

8

 

Ali Jahangiri, JD, a Director Nominee, is the Founder of Opportunity Zone Expo and Opportunity Zone Magazine, and has been since 2018. He is also the founder of Eb5investors and Uglobal in 2012, which serve the investment immigration industry as the industry trade publication and one of the largest international conference series. Mr. Jahangiri is also the CEO of Outclick Media, which among the other publishing sites also manages and operates colonoscopy.com and Hotelsmag.com

 

Mr. Jahangiri began his career practicing corporate law at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, but shifted his focus to publishing, where he pioneered multiple digital portals in healthcare and law, which were acquired in 2009 and 2011, respectively.

 

Mr. Jahangiri also serves on the Film Commission of California and board of overseers of Loyola Law School. Mr. Jahangiri received a Bachelors degree from UC Irvine and a law degree from Loyola Law School. We believe Mr. Jahangiri is well qualified to serve as an independent member of our board of directors because of his extensive entrepreneurial experience.

 

Robin L. Smith, MD, MBA, a Director Nominee, is a business leader, entrepreneur, medical doctor, and philanthropist uniquely positioned to assist public companies and health care systems to advance and be successful in the rapidly evolving health care industry. She is a trailblazer in the fields of regenerative medicine and predictive analytics and has focused on turnarounds, M&A and disruptive innovations driving interest and growth.

 

From 2006 until 2015, Dr. Smith was chairman and chief executive officer of the NeoStem, Inc. (NASDAQ: NBS), where she pioneered the company’s innovative business model combining proprietary cell therapy development with successful contract development and manufacturing organization that was sold to Hitachi, Ltd. (TYO: 6501) at 8x the price at which it had been acquired. During her 9 years of tenure, the company completed five acquisitions, one divestiture and won an array of industry awards and received business recognition including a first-place ranking in the tri-state area (two years in a row), and eleventh place nationally, on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500, and Frost & Sullivan’s North American Cell Therapeutics Technology Innovation Leadership Award. In 2015, Dr. Smith was asked to become chair of the board of directors of Mynd Analytics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYND) and successfully turn the business around through acquisitions and divestitures and brought liquidity to investors. In 2017, she founded Spiritus Therapeutics, Inc., a company in the exosome therapeutic area.

 

Dr. Smith has extensive experience serving on the boards of directors and board committees, including, audit, nominating and governance, compensation and science and technology committees, of multiple public companies and private companies. She serves as a director of: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRNE); Celularity, Inc. (soon to de-SPAC with NASDAQ: GXGX); Vicinity, Inc.; and, Spiritus Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Smith has also served on the board of ServiceSource International, Inc. (NASDAQ: SREV), of Seelos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEEL), Rockwell Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ: RMTI), and BioXcel Corp.

 

Dr. Smith co-authored Cells Are the New Cure (2017) and The Healing Cell: How the Greatest Revolution in Medical History Is Changing Your Life (2013). She has also been widely recognized for her leadership in health care and as a female entrepreneur. Most recently, Dr. Smith received the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF) 2019 Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Award for International Diplomacy in 2019 and the 2018 HEALinc Future Health Humanitarian Award, the Business Intelligence Group’s Woman of the Year Award in 2018 and the 2018 Gold Stevie® Award for Woman of the Year – Government or Non-Profit. In May 2016, Pope Francis awarded Dr. Smith Dame Commander with Star Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr. In May 2017, she was awarded the Lifetime Achievement in Healthcare and Science Award by The National Museum of Catholic Art and Library.

 

Dr. Smith is also active in many nonprofit organizations. She is the founder, president and chairperson of the board of the Cura Foundation, a charitable organization, and a member, serves on the board of overseers of the New York University Langone Medical Center and on the board of trustees of Sanford Health. She currently serves on the board of Alliance for Cell Therapy and served on the board of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) Foundation, Unite to Prevent Cancer (UTPC) Foundation now OPA and on the board of trustees of the New York University Langone Medical Center and was chairperson of our board of directors of the New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases.

 

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Dr. Smith received her B.A. degree from Yale University and her M.D. degree from the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Smith holds an M.B.A. degree from the Wharton School of Business and completed the Stanford University Directors Program. In 2019, Dr. Smith received an honorary doctor of science degree from Thomas Jefferson Medical College. We believe Dr. Smith is well qualified to serve as an independent member of our board of directors because of her experience in leadership and management roles and her experience as a board member in various public companies.

 

Adam K. Stern, a Director Nominee, is the CEO of SternAegis Ventures and has been the Head of Private Equity Banking at Aegis Capital Corp. since 2012. Prior to SternAegis, from 1997 to 2012, he was Senior Managing Director at Spencer Trask Ventures, Inc., where he managed the structured finance group focusing primarily on technology and life science companies. From 1989 to 1997, Mr. Stern was at Josephthal & Co., Inc., Members of the New York Stock Exchange, where he served as Head of Private Equity and Managing Director. He has been a FINRA licensed securities broker since 1987 and a Registered General Securities Principal since 1991. Mr. Stern has been a founding investor in numerous private and public companies and currently serves as a Director of DarioHealth Corp. (Nasdaq: DRIO) since March 2020, Organovo Holdings Inc., (Nasdaq: ONVO) since July 2020, and privately held Aerami Therapeutics, Inc. since 2014. Adam previously served on the board of directors for Matinas BioPharma Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MTNB) from 2012-2020, and HydroFarm Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: HYFM) from 2018-2020.

 

Mr. Stern graduated from the University of South Florida in 1987. We believe Mr. Stern is well qualified to serve as an independent member of our board of directors because of his experience as a board member of numerous public companies, as well as his deep financial experience as an investor.

 

The past performance of the members of our management team and board of directors or their affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success 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 or any of its affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our objectives are to generate attractive returns for stockholders and enhance value through (1) completing our initial business combination with a high-quality merger target at an attractive valuation with favorable terms for our stockholders and (2) enhancing operational performance through our team’s experience and by leveraging our expertise and the expertise of our network. We expect to favor potential target companies with certain industry and business characteristics. Key favorable industry characteristics we look for include, but are not limited to, compelling long-term growth prospects, strong secular tailwinds, and highly fragmented markets ripe for consolidation opportunities. We expect our target to possess certain business characteristics such as a leading market position, significant recurring revenue with a diversified customer base, opportunity for operational improvement, and a healthy margin profile with attractive free cash flow characteristics.

 

As we consider specific sectors of focus, we will be guided by three key factors. First, our significant industry and operational expertise. Second, the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as an accelerant of business practices and industry changes. Finally, targeting merger candidates where conditions allow us to influence sufficiently the outcome to produce attractive economic rewards for our stockholders and stakeholders. Our target sectors may include, but are not limited to: infrastructure and environmental services; health, wellness and food sustainability; financial technology and financial services; enterprise software and SaaS; and leisure and hospitality.

 

Our selection process will leverage our network of varied industry, investment banker, private equity and venture capital, credit fund, and lending community relationships, as well as our relationships with management teams of public and private companies, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of high-quality initial business combination opportunities. We intend to deploy a proactive, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, capital and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to change a target company and can help accelerate the target’s growth and performance.

 

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Our management team and board of directors has experience in:

 

·sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;

 

·operating companies, implementing and executing change-driven strategies, and identifying, monitoring and recruiting industry-leading talent;

 

·fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams;

 

·negotiating transactions favorable to investors;

 

·executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions;

 

·improving the strategic, operational, organizational and financial effectiveness of companies;

 

·accessing capital markets, including financing businesses, and managing or assisting companies transitioning from private to public ownership;

 

·acquiring and integrating companies; and

 

·developing and growing companies, both organically and inorganically and expanding the product range and geographic footprint of a number of target businesses.

 

Competitive Advantages

 

We believe our competitive strengths include the following:

 

·Depth of Team and Access to Resources: We have a dedicated management team with a track record of executing on transactions, and the resources to source and evaluate a large number of potential transactions.

 

·Renowned board of directors: We believe that our ability to leverage the experience of our board of directors, comprising senior operating executives across multiple sectors and industries, will provide us with a distinct advantage in being able to source, evaluate and consummate an attractive transaction.

 

·Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships: We believe our capabilities, reputation, and deeply-varied industry relationships will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of acquisition opportunities that would be difficult for other participants in the market to replicate.

 

·SPAC Experience: Certain members of our management and advisor teams have significant SPAC experience as founders, investors, and advisors in SPAC transactions. We believe their experience in SPAC transactions provide us with a distinct advantage with respect to understanding the process of sourcing, evaluating and executing on our initial business combination, as well as positioning us as an attractive partner for prospective target companies compared to first-time SPACs with no such prior experience.

 

·Execution and Structuring Capability: We believe our management team and board of directors’ combined expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete a transaction possessing structural attributes that create an attractive investment thesis. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. We believe that by focusing our investment activities on these types of transactions, we can generate investment opportunities that have attractive risk/reward profiles based on their valuations and structural characteristics.

 

·Public Company Experience: Certain members of our management team and board of directors have extensive experience as public company executives and/or board members. This experience will serve as a key competitive advantage in selecting companies that will benefit from going public, positioning us as an attractive partner to management teams of potential target companies, and help to create long-term value post-closing of our initial business combination.

 

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Investment Criteria

 

We will use the following investment criteria to screen for and evaluate target businesses although we may pursue opportunities outside of this scope.

 

·Small/Mid-cap Business: We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $500 million, determined in the sole discretion of our management team according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered. Although we have no commitment as of the date of this offering, we expect to issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a combination thereof, to complete an initial business combination. We believe the small- and mid-cap segment provides the greatest number of opportunities to invest in an attractive target.

 

·Public Company Ready: We will seek to acquire a company that is well-positioned to be a public company in terms of scale and size, and a company that public equity market investors will understand and value. While we believe our public company experience will be a significant asset as a transaction partner to private companies, we intend to avoid companies that have significant deficiencies in financial reporting or general public company readiness.

 

·Generates Stable Free Cash-Flow and/or Annual Recurring Revenue: We will seek to acquire a business that has historically generated, or has the near-term potential to generate, strong and sustainable free cash flow. We also believe that certain business models such as SaaS businesses, financial technology or enterprise software businesses have sustainable annual recurring revenue and are platforms that can be used to create attractively valued public companies.

 

·Would Benefit Distinctly from our Capabilities: We will seek to acquire a business where we can tangibly improve the operations and create long-term value for our stockholders. In particular, we believe our experience in operating and improving public companies, as well as serving on public company boards, would be a value-add to the management teams and boards of potential target companies.

 

·Is Sourced Through our Proprietary Channels: We believe the strength of our network will allow us to source differentiated targets, and even in competitive situations, we believe we would be able to leverage our proprietary relationships and/or insights into potential targets that will create competitive advantages for us.

 

·Has a Dedicated and Proven Management Team: We will seek to acquire a business with a professional management team whose interests are aligned with those of our investors. Where necessary, we may also look to complement and enhance the capabilities of the target business’s management team by recruiting additional talent through our network of contacts.

 

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.

 

Our Acquisition Process

 

While we have not selected any specific initial business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any initial business combination target with respect to our initial business combination with us, we have begun, and will continue to actively engage in, an extensive research effort to identify a large number of potential targets.

 

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We intend to leverage our resources and network for efficient outreach to commence immediately after the date of this prospectus. Our effort will be focused on creating proprietary transaction opportunities. We believe personal relationships built over time are critical not just in generating transaction opportunities, but also in consummating an initial business combination. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing our 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 business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Our initial stockholders, officers, and directors will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular initial 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.

 

Members of our management team or board of directors may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for an initial business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any initial business combination target with respect to an initial business combination transaction with us.

 

Our Initial Business Combination Process

 

In evaluating prospective initial business combinations, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review process that may encompass, among other things, a review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with management and their advisors (if applicable), on-site inspection of facilities and assets, discussion with customers and suppliers, legal reviews and other reviews as we deem appropriate. We will leverage our operational and capital allocation experience in order to:

 

oAssemble a team of industry and financial experts: For each potential transaction, we intend to assemble a team of industry and financial experts to supplement our management’s efforts to identify and resolve key issues facing the company. We intend to construct an operating and financial plan which optimizes the potential to grow stockholder value. With extensive experience investing in both healthy and underperforming businesses, we expect that our management will be able to demonstrate to the target business and its stakeholders that we have the resources and expertise to lead the combined company through complex and often turbulent market conditions and provide the strategic and operational direction necessary to grow the business in order to maximize cash flows and improve the overall strategic prospects for the business;

 

oConduct rigorous research and analysis: Performing disciplined, bottom-up fundamental research and analysis is core to our strategy, and we intend to conduct extensive due diligence to evaluate the impact that a transaction may have on the target business;

 

oAcquire the target company at an attractive price relative to our view of its intrinsic value: Combining rigorous bottom-up analysis as well as input from industry and financial experts, the management team intends to develop its view of the intrinsic value of the potential initial business combination. In doing so, the management team will evaluate future cash flow potential, relative industry valuation metrics and precedent transactions to inform its view of intrinsic value, with the intention of creating an initial business combination at an attractive price relative to such view;

 

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oImplement operating and financial structuring opportunities: We believe our management team has the ability to structure and execute an initial business combination that will provide the combined business with a capital structure that will support growth in stockholder value and give the combined company the flexibility needed to grow organically and/or through strategic acquisitions or divestitures. We intend to also develop and implement strategies and initiatives to improve the business’s operating and financial performance and create a platform for growth; and

 

oSeek follow-on strategic acquisitions and divestitures to grow further stockholder value: The management team intends to analyze the strategic direction of the company and evaluate non-core asset sales to create financial and/or operating flexibility needed for the company to engage in organic or inorganic growth. Specifically, the management team intends to evaluate opportunities for industry consolidation in the company’s core lines of business as well as opportunities to integrate with other industry participants vertically or horizontally.

 

Following our initial business combination, we intend to evaluate opportunities to enhance stockholder value, including developing and implementing corporate strategies and initiatives to provide financial and operating runway such that the company can improve its profitability and long-term value. In doing so, the management team anticipates evaluating corporate governance, opportunistically accessing capital markets and other opportunities to enhance liquidity, identifying acquisition and divestiture opportunities, and properly aligning management and board incentives with growing stockholder value.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing our 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 business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets

 

While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction; in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction).

 

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which an initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another initial business combination. We will not pay any finders or consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more initial 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 fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” 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. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to determine independently the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the 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 prior owners of the target business, the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination 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, shares or other equity interests 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 issued and 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 valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as our initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.

 

To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information that will be made available to us.

 

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another initial business combination.

 

Private Placements

 

On June 9, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 of our common shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, which included 1,207,500 representative shares previously transferred from our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P. on June 16, 2021 for $7,000 (up to 157,500 shares of which were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part). Such shares are referred to herein as “founder shares” or “insider shares.” On November 22, 2021, we effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of our common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to our sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that our sponsor owns 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares (of which 277,174 founder shares and 97,826 founder shares, respectively, are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering). None of our initial stockholders has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering.

 

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The founder shares are identical to the public shares. However, our initial stockholders, officers, and directors have agreed (A) to vote their founder shares in favor of any proposed initial business combination, (B) not to propose, or vote in favor of, prior to and unrelated to our initial business combination, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our redemption obligation to redeem all public shares if we cannot complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) of the closing of this offering, unless we provide our public stockholders an opportunity to redeem their public shares in conjunction with any such amendment, (C) not to redeem any shares, including founder shares into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in any tender offer in connection with our proposed initial business combination, and (D) that the founder shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if an initial business combination is not consummated.

 

On the date of this prospectus, the founder shares will be placed into an escrow account maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC acting as escrow agent. The founder shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow, other than in the case of a permitted transfer described below, until the earlier of (A) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other properties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all of the founder shares will be released from the escrow account if (1) the last reported sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (2) if we complete a transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. During the escrow period, the holders of these founder shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and stockholders) participating in the private placement of the private placement units, officers, directors, stockholders, employees, and members of our sponsor and its affiliates, (2) amongst initial stockholders or their respective affiliates, or to our officers, directors, advisors and employees, (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased or (9) for the cancellation of up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 9 or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and the letter agreement.

 

Additionally, our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The private placement units are identical to the public units, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. There will be no underwriting fees or commissions with respect to the private placement units.

 

A portion of the proceeds from the private placement of the private placement units will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as trustee, in an amount such that, at the time of the closing of this offering, $101,000,000 or $116,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.10 per unit) will be held in the trust account. The remainder of such proceeds shall be held by us outside of the trust account for working capital purposes. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended), our initial stockholders have waived any and all rights and claims to any proceeds and interest thereon in respect to the private placement units, and the portion of the private placement proceeds that is placed into the trust account will be included in the liquidating distribution to the holders of our public shares.

 

The private placement units are identical to the units sold to the public in this offering.

 

If public units or public shares are purchased by any of our directors, officers, or initial stockholders, they will be entitled to funds from the trust account upon our liquidation to the same extent as any public stockholder, but will not have redemption rights related thereto.

 

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Corporate Information

 

Our executive offices are located at 42 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10004, and our telephone number is 310-740-0710.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior December 31, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

 

The Offering

 

In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 29 of this prospectus.

 

Securities offered  

10,000,000 units (or 11,500,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:

 

· one share of common stock; and

· one warrant to purchase one share of common stock

     
Listing of our securities
and proposed symbols
  We anticipate the units and the shares of common stock and the warrants, once they begin separate trading, will be listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the symbols “WAVSU,” “WAVS,” and “WAVSW,” respectively.
     
Trading commencement
and separation of
common stock and
warrants
  Each of the shares of common stock and warrants may trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless A.G.P. determines that an earlier date is acceptable (based upon, among other things, its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular). In no event will A.G.P. allow separate trading of the shares of common stock and warrants until we file an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering.

 

17

 

    Once the shares of common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into separately trading shares of common stock and warrants.
     
    We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC, including an audited balance sheet, promptly upon the consummation of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days from the date the units commence trading. The audited balance sheet will reflect our receipt of the proceeds from the exercise of the over-allotment option if the over-allotment option is exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K or a new Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option. We will also include in the Form 8-K, or amendment thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if A.G.P. has allowed separate trading of the shares of common stock and warrants prior to the 90th day after the date of this prospectus.
     
Units:    
     
Number outstanding before
this offering and the
private placement
  0 units
     
Number outstanding after
this offering and the
private placement
 

10,361,000 units (or 11,876,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which includes the private placement units.

     
Shares of common stock:    
     
Number issued and
outstanding before this
offering and the private
placement
 

2,875,000 founder shares (including 750,000 representative shares)

 

Number to be issued and
outstanding after this
offering and the private
placement
 

12,861,000 common shares, including 10,000,000 shares underlying the public units, 2,500,000 founder shares (including 652,174 representative shares) and 361,000 shares underlying the private placement units.  These numbers assume the over-allotment option is not exercised.

     
Redeemable Warrants:    
     
Number issued and
outstanding before this
offering and the private
placement
  0 warrants
     
Number to be issued and
outstanding warrants after
this offering and the private
placement
 

10,361,000 warrants (or 11,876,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), which includes warrants that make part of the private placement units.

     
Exercisability   Each redeemable public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock.

 

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Exercise price   $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per public shares (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), or the Newly Issued Price, (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination, or the Market Value, is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

Exercise period   Beginning on the later of: (i) one year after the date that the registration statement for this offering, or this Registration Statement, is declared effective by the SEC; and (ii) the consummation by us of our initial business combination, and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the completion of our initial business combination; provided, in each case, that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement).
     
    We are not registering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. If that exemption, or another exemption is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.  On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.

 

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Redemption  

We may redeem the outstanding warrants in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant:

 

●        at any time while such warrants are exercisable,

 

●        upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption,

 

●      if, and only if, the last sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption, and

 

●        if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants at the time of redemption and for the entire 30-day trading period referred to above and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption. 

 

    If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise their warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of our common stock may fall below the $18.00 trigger price, as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
     
    The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price that is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.
     
    If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise such warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the whole warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Whether we will exercise our option to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis” will depend on a variety of factors including the price of our shares of common stock at the time the warrants are called for redemption, our cash needs at such time and concerns regarding dilutive share issuances.
     
    The holders of representative shares will not participate in any distribution from our trust account with respect to such shares.

 

Founder Shares
 

 

On June 9, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, which included 1,207,500 representative shares transferred from our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P. on June 16, 2021 for $7,000 (up to 157,500 of which were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part). On November 22, 2021, we effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of our common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to our sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that our sponsor owns 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares (of which 277,174 founder shares and 97,826 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering).

 

Prior to the initial investment in us of $25,000 by our sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the aggregate number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the shares of common stock underlying the private placement warrants). As such, our initial stockholders will collectively own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any public units in this offering.

 

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The founder shares are identical to the shares of common stock underlying the public units being sold in this offering, except that:

 

·     the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;

 

·    our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have entered into letter agreements, or, the letter agreements, with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or certain amendments to our charter prior thereto or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering; or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame;

 

·      pursuant to the letter agreements, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the then-outstanding shares of common stock present and entitled to vote at the meeting to approve our initial business combination are voted in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and private placement units, we would need only 3,569,501 or 35.7%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised); and

 

·     the founder shares, including the representative shares, are entitled to registration rights.

     
Private Placement Units   Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering and regardless of whether the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Each private placement unit consists of one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock. The private placement units are identical to the units being sold in this offering; provided, that, if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, the private placement units will expire worthless.

 

21

 

 

 

A portion of the proceeds from the private placement of the private placement units will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as trustee, in an amount such that, at the time of the closing of this offering, $101,000,000 (or $116,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account ($10.10 per unit). The remainder of such proceeds shall be held by us outside of the trust account for working capital purposes.

 

Representative Shares   As part of the underwriting compensation payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering, 750,000 representative shares were transferred from our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P. for $6,522, which make up part of the founder shares, of which 97,826 are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters do not exercise the over-allotment. The representative has agreed not to transfer, assign, or sell any such shares without our prior consent until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, A.G.P. has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering.  The representative shares are deemed to be underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110.
     
Offering proceeds to be
held in trust
 

$101,000,000 (or $116,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), consisting of the net proceeds of this offering and a portion of the net proceeds of the private placement, will be placed in a United States based trust account, maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus.

 

   

The proceeds of this offering include $4,500,000 (or $5,175,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, to be payable to A.G.P. upon consummation of the initial business combination, as an initial business combination agreement fee as described under the section “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest”, representing 4.5% of the proceeds from this offering.  Such amount is to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein.

     
    Except as set forth below, the proceeds in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination within the required time period and (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination in the required time period. Therefore, unless and until our initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses that we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business.
     
    Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our tax obligations. With this exception, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to an initial business combination only from the approximately $1,425,000 of net proceeds of the sale of the private placement units in the private placement that are not held in the trust account.

 

22

 

Limited payments to
insiders
 

Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, there will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our initial stockholders, officers, directors, or their affiliates prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction) other than:

 

●       repayment of loans of up to $300,000 advanced to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses, evidenced by promissory notes;

 

●       payment to A.G.P. of $500,000 and transfer by our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P. of the representative shares for $6,522, as an underwriting fee;

 

●     simultaneously with the initial business combination, payment to A.G.P. of a 4.5% initial business combination marketing fee as described under the section “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest”;

 

●        repayment of loans that may be made by our insiders, officers, directors, or any of its or their affiliates to finance transaction costs in connection with our initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined;

 

●         reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible business targets and initial business combinations; and

 

●       repayment upon consummation of our initial business combination of any loans that may be made by our initial stockholders or their affiliates or our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination

 

     
    There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account available to us, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate our initial business combination (other than up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses). Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to any initial stockholder or member of our management team, or their respective affiliates, and any reimbursements and payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

 

Stockholder approval of,
or tender offer in
connection with, initial
initial business combination
  In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to convert their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed initial business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have agreed, pursuant to the letter agreements, not to convert any public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each public stockholder may tender any or all of their public shares rather than some pro rata portion of their shares. If enough stockholders tender their shares so that we are unable to satisfy any applicable closing condition set forth in the definitive agreement related to our initial business combination, or we are unable to maintain net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001, we will not consummate such initial business combination. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction or whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. If we provide stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC that will contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will consummate the initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination.

 

23

 

    We have determined not to consummate any initial business combination unless we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation in order to avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate our initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares redeemed) and may force us to seek third party financing that may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.

 

    Pursuant to the letter agreements, our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have agreed (A) to vote their founder shares and any public shares in favor of any proposed initial business combination; (B) to not propose, or vote in favor of, prior to and unrelated to our initial business combination, an amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our redemption obligation to redeem all public shares if we cannot complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) unless we provide public stockholder an opportunity to redeem their public shares in conjunction with any such amendment; (C) to not convert any shares (including the founder shares and public shares they acquire in this offering or otherwise) into the right to receive cash from the trust account in connection with a stockholder vote to approve our proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in a tender offer in connection with our proposed initial business combination; and (D) that the founder shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution upon winding up if an initial business combination is not consummated. None of our initial stockholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering or any units or shares of common stock in the open market or in private transactions. However, if a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a proposed initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, directors, or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Our sponsor could purchase sufficient shares so that our initial business combination may be approved without the majority vote of public shares held by non-affiliates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, initial stockholders and their affiliates will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock or purchasing shares when the buyer is in possession of material non-public information about us.

 

24

 

Conversion rights   In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he, she or it is voting for or against such proposed initial business combination, to demand that we convert their public shares into a pro rata share of the trust account upon consummation of the initial business combination.
     
    We may require public stockholders wishing to exercise conversion rights, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender the certificates they are seeking to convert to our transfer agent or to deliver the shares they are seeking to convert to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, at any time at or prior to the vote on the initial business combination. There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the initial business combination in order to exercise conversion rights. This is because a holder would need to deliver shares to exercise conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders to deliver their shares prior to the vote on the proposed initial business combination and the proposed initial business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders. The conversion rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.
     
    Under Delaware law, we may be required to give a minimum of only ten days’ notice for each general meeting. As a result, if we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock into the right to receive a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account to comply with the foregoing delivery requirements, holders may not have sufficient time to receive the notice and deliver their shares for conversion. Accordingly, investors may not be able to exercise their conversion rights and may be forced to retain our securities when they otherwise would not want to.
     
    If we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock to comply with specific delivery requirements for conversion described above and such proposed initial business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders.

 

Liquidation if no initial business combination   If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than five business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares (including any public units in this offering or any public units or shares that our initial stockholders or their affiliates purchased in this offering or later acquired in the open market or in private transactions), which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably practicable following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining holders of common stock and our board of directors, proceed to commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby our formal dissolution, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable law.

 

25

 

    In connection with our redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, each holder will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not necessary to pay our taxes payable on such funds. Holders of warrants will receive no proceeds in connection with the liquidation with respect to such warrants, which will expire worthless.
     
    We may not have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them.
     
    The holders of the founder shares and private placement units will not participate in any redemption distribution with respect to their founder shares and private placement units, but may have any public shares redeemed upon liquidation.
     
    If we are unable to conclude our initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering not deposited in the trust account, without taking into account any interest earned on the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be approximately $10.10. The proceeds deposited in the trust account, however, could become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of our stockholders. Furthermore, our underwriters may seek recourse against the proceeds in the trust account relating to any future claims they may have against us. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case 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. Therefore, the actual per-share redemption price may be less than approximately $10.10. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account.  We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,425,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any tax obligations we may owe. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
     
Conflict of Interest  

A.G.P. has a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121(f)(5)(B) in this offering because it and its affiliates collectively own more than 10% of our shares. Due to this conflict of interest, The Benchmark Company, LLC is acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” in accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, which requires, among other things, that a qualified independent underwriter participate in the preparation of, and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” with respect to, this prospectus and the registration statement of which it forms a part. The Benchmark Company, LLC will receive $100,000 (such amount to be deducted from the underwriters’ commissions) for acting as a qualified independent underwriter. We have agreed to indemnify The Benchmark Company, LLC against certain liabilities incurred in connection with acting as qualified independent underwriter, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In addition, no underwriter with a conflict of interest will confirm sales to any account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the specific prior written approval of the account holder. See “Underwriting — Conflicts of Interest” for further information.

 

26

 

RISKS

 

We are a newly formed company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company, as well as the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act, and, therefore, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison to offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 29 of this prospectus.

 

Summary of 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 prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

 

·We are a newly-formed blank check company in the early stage, with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

 

·Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may consummate our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.

 

·If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

 

·The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination.

 

·We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

·Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

·If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.

 

·You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares, potentially at a loss.

 

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·You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

 

·

If we do not have sufficient working capital to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months if extended), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. 

 

·If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait up to 12 months or longer from the date of our initial public offering before redemption from our trust account.

 

·We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, and consequently, an independent source may not confirm that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.

 

·Our ability to effect successfully our initial business combination, and to be successful thereafter, will be largely dependent upon the efforts of our officers, directors and key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination.

 

·Certain of our officers and directors are now, or in the future may be, 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.

 

·We may engage in our initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors, representative, or existing holders that may raise potential conflicts of interest.

 

·Because our officers and directors will be eligible to share in a portion of any appreciation in founder shares purchased at approximately $0.0087 per share, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular initial business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

·A.G.P. may have a conflict of interest in connection with our initial business combination.

 

·Because our sponsor will lose its entire initial investment in us if our initial business combination is not consummated, and our officers and directors have significant financial interests in us, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular acquisition target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

·Because our sponsor paid only approximately $0.0087 per share for the founder shares, certain of our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value.

 

·The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

·We may amend the terms of the warrants in a way that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding warrants.

 

·Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

 

·The other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

 

The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data are presented.

 

  

September 30,
2021

 
   Actual   As Adjusted 
Balance Sheet Data:          
Working capital (deficiency)(1)  $(275,163)  $1,446,962 
Total assets(2)   308,562    102,446,962 
Total liabilities   286,600    - 
Value of common stock subject to possible redemption   -    101,000,000 
Stockholders’ equity(3)   21,962    1,446,962 

 

(1)The “as adjusted” calculation includes $1,425,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $21,962 of actual stockholders’ equity, as of September 30, 2021.
(2)The “as adjusted” calculation includes $101,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, plus $1,425,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $21,962 of actual stockholders’ equity as of September 30, 2021.
(3)Excludes 10,000,000 shares of common stock purchased in the public market which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of common stock that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination (approximately $10.10 per share).

 

If no initial business combination is completed within the period to consummate our initial business combination, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes as well as expenses relating to the administration of the trust account (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have entered into the letter agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we do not complete our initial business combination within such 12-month time period (or up to 18 months, if extended).

 

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 prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

Risks Relating to our Search for, and Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination

 

We are a newly-formed blank check company in the early stage, 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 blank check company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering and consummating our initial business combination. 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 have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning our initial business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

 

The requirement that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination may limit the type and number of companies with which we may complete such an initial business combination.

 

Pursuant to the Nasdaq stock exchange listing rules, the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account)at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. This restriction may limit the type and number of companies with which we may complete an initial business combination. If we are unable to locate a target business or businesses that satisfy this fair market value test, we may be forced to liquidate and you will only be entitled to receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account, which may be less than $10.10 per share.

 

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Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may consummate 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 unless our initial business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial 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. Even if we seek stockholder approval, the holders of the founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of our initial business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial business combination” for additional information.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers, and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

 

Pursuant to the letter agreements, our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and the private placement units, we would need only 3,569,501 or 35.7%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Our initial stockholders, directors, and officers, and their permitted transferees will own shares representing approximately 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders, directors, and officers 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. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.

 

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential initial 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 one or more target businesses. Because our board of directors may consummate our initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential initial business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

 

The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential initial business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into our initial business combination with a target.

 

We may seek to enter into our initial business combination 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 our initial business combination. 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 our initial business combination. Furthermore, we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related initial business combination and may instead search for an alternate initial business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into our initial business combination with us. The ability of a large number of our stockholders to exercise redemption rights may not allow us to consummate the most desirable initial business combination or optimize our capital structure.

 

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The ability of a large number of our stockholders to exercise redemption rights may not allow us to consummate the most desirable initial business combination or optimize our capital structure.

 

In connection with the successful consummation of our initial business combination, we may redeem up to that number of shares of common stock that would permit us to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001. If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, the redemption threshold may be further limited. Alternatively, we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our initial business combination in case a larger percentage of stockholders exercise their redemption rights than we expect. If the acquisition involves the issuance of our shares as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our shares to the target or its stockholders to make up for the failure to satisfy a minimum cash requirement. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive initial business combination available to us.

 

The requirement that we maintain a minimum net worth or retain a certain amount of cash could increase the probability that we cannot consummate our initial business combination and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.

 

If, pursuant to the terms of our proposed initial business combination, we are required to maintain a minimum net worth or retain a certain amount of cash in trust in order to consummate the initial business combination and regardless of whether we proceed with redemptions under the tender offer or proxy rules, the probability that we cannot consummate our initial business combination is increased. If we do not consummate our initial business combination, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount in our 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 shares in the open market.

 

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination.

 

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning our initial business combination will be aware that we must consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target businesses may obtain leverage over us in negotiating our initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

 

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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the continued outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 12-month period (or up to 18 months, if extended), 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, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our 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 which case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

Our search for an initial business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate an initial business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted negatively the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, lowered equity market valuations, created significant volatility and disruption in financial markets, and increased unemployment levels, all of which may become heightened concerns upon a second wave of infection or future developments. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in temporary closures of many businesses and the institution of social distancing and sheltering in place requirements in many states and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential partner business with which we consummate an initial business combination could be materially and adversely affected.

 

Furthermore, we may be unable to complete an initial business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the partner business’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for an initial business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. While vaccines for COVID-19 are being, and have been, developed and deployed, and restrictions have been easing in certain jurisdictions, there is no guarantee that any such vaccine will be effective, work as expected, be made available, or will be accepted on a significant scale, or that restrictions will continue to ease in a timely manner. 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. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate an initial business combination, or the operations of a partner business with which we ultimately consummate an initial 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 that 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.

 

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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from stockholders, in which case they may influence a vote in favor of a proposed initial business combination that you do not support.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions either prior to or following the consummation of our initial business combination. Such purchases will not be made if our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates are in possession of any material non-public information that has not been disclosed to the selling stockholder. Such a purchase would 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. It is intended that, if Rule 10b-18 would apply to purchases by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates, then such purchases will comply with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act, to the extent it applies, which provides a safe harbor for purchases made under certain conditions, including with respect to timing, pricing and volume of purchases.

 

The purpose of such purchases would be to (1) increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or (2) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of the initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the consummation of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.

 

If a stockholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.

 

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve our initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.

 

Purchases of our public shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions by our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may make it difficult for us to maintain the listing of our shares on a national securities exchange following the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

If our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase our public shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, the public “float” of our shares of common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities would both be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain the listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange following consummation of the initial business combination.

 

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You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares, potentially at a loss.

 

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to the funds in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares, potentially at a loss.

 

A.G.P. has a conflict of interest in connection with this offering, and with respect to rendering services to us in connection with our initial business combination.

 

A.G.P. has a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121(f)(5)(B) in this offering because it beneficially owns more than 10% of our shares. Due to this conflict of interest, The Benchmark Company, LLC is acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” in accordance with FINRA Rule 5121, which requires, among other things, that a qualified independent underwriter participate in the preparation of, and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” with respect to, this prospectus and the registration statement of which it forms a part. The Benchmark Company, LLC will be paid a fee from the total underwriting discount in this offering in consideration for its services and expenses as qualified independent underwriter. See “Underwriting — Conflicts of Interest” for further information.

 

In addition, A.G.P. will assist us in connection with our initial business combination. The representative shares transferred by our sponsor to A.G.P. and/or its designees will be worthless, and A.G.P. will not receive the initial business combination marketing fee described in “Underwriting – Conflicts of Interest”, if we do not consummate our initial business combination. Therefore, if A.G.P. provides services to us in connection with our initial business combination, these financial interests may result in the representative having a conflict of interest when providing such services to us.

 

We may engage A.G.P. or its affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with our initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. A.G.P. is entitled to receive a business combination marketing fee only on a completion of our initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause A.G.P. to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of our initial business combination.

 

A.G.P. will provide certain marketing and related services regarding the initial business combination, for which A.G.P. will be paid the initial business combination marketing fee described in “Underwriting – Conflicts of Interest”. Payment of the business combination marketing fee that is conditioned on the completion of our initial business combination. The fact that A.G.P. or its affiliates’ financial interests are tied to the consummation of an initial business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of our initial business combination.

 

In addition, we may engage A.G.P. or its affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering, or arranging debt financing. We may pay A.G.P. or its affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with A.G.P. its affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriter or its affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriting compensation in connection with this offering.

 

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You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

 

Because the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to complete our initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will expect to file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, offerings subject to Rule 419 would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of Offering to Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.

 

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for initial 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 approximately $10.10 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire, including affiliates of our sponsor. 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 industry knowledge than we do, and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of common stock that our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 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 $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

If we do not have sufficient working capital to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 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, together with any interest income earned on amounts in the trust account, may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with loans that may be made by our sponsor, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.10 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 $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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If we do not have sufficient working capital, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we may need to seek additional loans from our sponsor to fund our search for our initial business combination, to pay our 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 this offering and the sale of the private placement units, only approximately $1,425,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,185,000 (including underwriting discounts and commissions of $500,000), we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted by such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,185,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance additional 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. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we 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 approximately $10.10 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 $10.10 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 $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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 shares of common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our shares of common stock.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, individually or 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. Your inability to redeem more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering will reduce your influence over our ability to consummate our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell such excess shares in open market transactions. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, you would be required to sell your shares in open market transaction, potentially at a loss.

 

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Subsequent to our consummation of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write- downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges.

 

Even if we conduct thorough due diligence on a target business with which we combine, this diligence may not surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to our initial business combination constituted an actionable material misstatement or 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 $10.10 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, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.

 

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.10 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreements, our initial stockholders have agreed that they will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or initial business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.10 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 $10.10 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our initial stockholders to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our initial stockholders would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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Our directors may decide not to enforce indemnification obligations against 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 $10.10 per share (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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 on our behalf 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, may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations on our behalf, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.10 per share.

 

We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.

 

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate our initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover 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.

 

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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 Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended, or DGC, 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 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this 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 12th month (or up to the 18th month, if extended) from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 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 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

 

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.

 

In accordance with Nasdaq 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 Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, however, we are 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

 

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The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share.

 

The net proceeds of this offering, as well as a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units in the private placement, in the aggregate amount of $101,000,000 or $116,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full ($10.10 per unit) will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (that we may use to pay our taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds then held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, plus any interest income (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses). If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $101,000,000 ($116,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) due to negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.10 per share.

 

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

 

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including restrictions on the nature of our investments and restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including registration as an investment company, 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 in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete our initial business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.

 

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 that 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. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities.

 

The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to consummate our initial business combination.

 

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Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.

 

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments, in particular, the SEC. 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 also may 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 and results of operations.

 

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait up to 12 months or longer from the date of our initial public offering before redemption from our trust account.

 

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than five business days thereafter (subject to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and applicable law), distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), pro rata to our public stockholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs by way of a voluntary liquidation, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account shall be effected as required by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to our commencing any voluntary liquidation. Except as otherwise described herein, we have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of any redemption required as a result of our failure to consummate our initial business combination within the period described above or our liquidation, unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their shares of common stock. Only upon any such redemption of public shares as we are required to effect or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders (including the representative) 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 shares of common stock.

 

Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on the date of this prospectus, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the founder shares, the representative shares, the private placement units and the underlying securities. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of 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 stockholder 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 shares of common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our sponsor, holders of our private placement units or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

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Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.

 

We will seek to complete our initial business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector, though we intend to focus on the financial services, healthcare, real estate services, technology and software industries, except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to an initial business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in an initial business combination target. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the initial business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

 

We may seek investment opportunities outside our management’s area of expertise and our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all significant risks associated with the target company.

 

There are no limitations on the industries or business sectors we may consider when contemplating our initial business combination. Therefore, we may consider an initial business combination in sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such initial business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular initial 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 units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in our initial business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any security holders who choose to remain security holders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such security holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

Although we 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 criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective initial business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.10 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors.

 

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Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with our management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.

 

Subject to the requirement that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Investors will be relying on management’s ability to identify initial business combinations, evaluate their merits, conduct or monitor diligence and conduct negotiations. Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate, along with management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.

 

We may seek initial business combination opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.

 

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, and consequently, an independent source may not confirm that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.

 

Unless we consummate our initial business combination with entity that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not consummated.

 

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention, and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate 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 $10.10 per share or even less (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.10 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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We may only be able to complete one initial business combination with the proceeds of this offering, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business, which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.

 

The net proceeds from this offering, together with a portion of the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement units in the private placement, will provide us with approximately $101,000,000 (or approximately $116,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination.

 

We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By consummating 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 initial business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products 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 initial business combination.

 

We may attempt to simultaneously consummate initial business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to consummate our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.

 

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other initial business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple initial 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 consummate our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available.

 

In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information 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 our initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

 

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

 

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards, or IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board or the IASB, 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. We will include the substantially the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may consummate our initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

 

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Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our stockholders and warrant holders. As a result of our initial business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.

 

Although we will attempt to structure our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite stockholder approval, we may structure our initial business combination in a manner that requires stockholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our initial business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a stockholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of such holder's shares or warrants. In addition, we may effect an initial business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). As a result, stockholders and warrant holders may be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.

 

Furthermore, we may effect an initial business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and, possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such an initial business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.

 

Risks Related to our Sponsor and Management Team and Their Respective Affiliates, and to the Post-Business Combination Company

 

Our ability to effect successfully our initial business combination, and to be successful thereafter, will be largely dependent upon the efforts of our officers, directors and key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination.

 

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 consummated 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 management time among various business activities, including identifying potential initial business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key person 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.

 

However, the role of any of our officers or directors in the target business, after consummation of the initial business combination, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of such persons may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we may engage after our initial business combination, our assessment of these individuals may not prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues that may adversely affect our operations.

 

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Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular initial business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and, as a result, cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular initial business combination is the most advantageous.

 

Our key personnel may be able to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial 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 consummation of the initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential initial business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our key personnel may not 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 effectuate our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

 

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’ management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. If the target’s management do 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.

 

If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.

 

Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as our officers, and the management of the target business at the time of the initial business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues that may adversely affect our operations.

 

The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon consummation of our initial business combination. The loss of an acquisition 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 consummation 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 some members of the management team of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. As a result, we may need to reconstitute the management team of the post-transaction company in connection with our initial business combination, which may adversely impact our ability to complete an acquisition in a timely manner or at all.

 

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As the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for our initial business combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial business combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial business combination.

 

In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into initial business combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for our initial business combination.

 

In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into our initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close initial business combinations or operate targets post-initial business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find a suitable target for and/or complete our initial business combination.

 

Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete our initial business combination.

 

In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have substantially increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.

 

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate our initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-initial business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-initial business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.

 

In addition, even after we were to complete our initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to our initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-initial business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims. The need for such insurance would be an added expense for the post-initial business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate our initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.

 

Certain of our officers and directors are now, or in the future may be, 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.

 

Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our directors and officers may now be, or in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business.

 

In addition, our directors and officers may become aware of business opportunities that 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 other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our directors’ and officers’ fiduciary duties under the DGCL. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of ours 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.

 

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Our sponsor, directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies similar to ours, including in connection with their initial business combinations, or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking our initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or ventures may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing our initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management — Directors and Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” and “Related Party Transactions.”

 

Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result, certain of those persons have been, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may be in the future be, affiliated. These activities may have an adverse effect on us, which may impeded our ability to consummate our initial business combination.

 

During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons , are now, or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings relating to the business affairs of such companies or transactions entered into by such companies. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert the attention and resources of the members of both our management team and our board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

Certain shares beneficially owned by our initial stockholders, officers, and directors will not participate in liquidation distributions and, therefore, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

Our initial stockholders, officers, and directors have waived their right to redeem any shares in connection with our initial business combination, or to receive distributions with respect to their founder shares, upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination. Accordingly, the founder shares and the private placement units will be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. Any warrants they hold, like those held by the public, will also be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing an initial business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular initial business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

 

If our initial business combination is not completed, our officers and directors may not be reimbursed for their out-of-pocket expenses, and our sponsor will not be eligible to be repaid for loans our sponsor may provide to us, and a conflict of interest may therefore arise in determining whether a particular initial business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

Our officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable initial business combinations. Reimbursement for such expenses will be paid by us out of loans by our sponsor and interest earned on the trust account. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. These financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target initial business combination and completing our initial business combination.

 

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We may engage in our initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors, representative, or existing holders that may raise potential conflicts of interest.

 

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers, directors, and representative with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated or competitive with our sponsor, officers, directors, representative, or their respective affiliates. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for initial business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers, directors and representative are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning our initial business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for our initial business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Effecting an initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of our initial business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors, or sponsor, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of our initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

 

Because our officers and directors will be eligible to share in a portion of any appreciation in founder shares purchased at approximately $0.0087 per share, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular initial business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

The members of our management team have invested in our sponsor by subscribing units issued by our sponsor. These officers and directors will not receive any cash compensation from us prior to an initial business combination but through their investment in our sponsor will be eligible to share in a portion of any appreciation in founder shares and private placement units, provided, that, we successfully complete an initial business combination. We believe that this structure aligns the incentives of these officers and directors with the interests of our stockholders. However, investors should be aware that, as these officers and directors have paid approximately $0.0087 per share for the interest in the founder shares, this structure also creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we complete our initial business combination with a target that ultimately declines in value and is not profitable for public investors.

 

Because our sponsor will lose its entire initial investment in us if our initial business combination is not consummated, and our officers and directors have significant financial interests in us, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular acquisition target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

On June 9, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. On November 22, 2021, we effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of our common stock, so that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares. Such shares include an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which private placement units will also be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. Holders of founder shares and private placement units have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, any loans from our sponsor will not be repaid if our initial business combination is not consummated. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target initial business combination, completing our initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following our initial business combination.

 

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We may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.

 

We currently anticipate structuring our initial business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may structure our initial business combination to acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only consummate such initial business combination if we will become the majority stockholder of the target (or control the target through contractual arrangements in limited circumstances for regulatory compliance purposes) or are otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act or to the extent permitted by law we may acquire interests in a variable interest entity, in which we may have less than a majority of the voting rights in such entity, but in which we are the primary beneficiary. Even though we may own a majority interest in the target, our stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-initial business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we 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 such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares 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 our stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that we will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.

 

Risks Relating to our Securities

 

We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete our initial business combination, which may adversely affect our 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 otherwise to incur debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. If we incur any indebtedness without a waiver from the lender of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

 

  · default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after our 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 shares of 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 shares of common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

  · limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

  · increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and

 

  · limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

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Because our sponsor paid only approximately $0.0087 per share for the founder shares, certain of our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value.

 

On June 9, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 of our common shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, which included 1,207,500 representative shares previously transferred from our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P. on June 16, 2021 for $7,000 (up to 157,500 shares of which were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part). On November 22, 2021, we effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of our common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to our sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that our sponsor owns 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares (of which 277,174 founder shares and 97,826 founder shares, respectively, that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering), each share having the purchase value of approximately $0.0087 per share. Certain of our officers and directors have a significant economic interest in our sponsor. As a result, the low acquisition cost of the founder shares creates an economic incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we complete an initial business combination with a target business that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.

 

Our initial stockholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.0087 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our shares of common stock.

 

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the shares of common stock included in a unit and none to the warrants included in a unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our initial stockholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 94.9% or $9.49 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.51 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per share immediately upon the closing of this offering), or approximately 95.5% dilution or $9.55 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.45 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per share) if the over-allotment is fully exercised.

 

The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.10 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.10 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.0087 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $96,500,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $4,500,000 to the underwriters, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the initial business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, as well as the value of our public and private placement units. At such valuation, each of our shares of common stock would have an implied value of $7.50 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 25.7% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.10 (the price per unit in this offering, assuming no value to the public warrants).

 

Public shares   10,000,000 
Founder shares   2,500,000 
Shares underlying the private placement units   361,000 
Total shares   12,861,000 
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination (less the initial business combination marketing fee payable to A.G.P. as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and held in the trust account)  $96,500,000 
Initial implied value per public share  $10.10 
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination  $7.50 

 

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The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.10 per share.

 

Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $3,635,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $3,610,000 purchase price for the private placement units. Assuming a trading price of $10.10 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 2,500,000 founder shares and 361,000 private placement units would have an aggregate implied value of $28,896,100 Even if the trading price of our common stock were as low as $1.27 per share, and the warrants constituting the private placement units were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to our sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our officers and directors, who own interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public stockholders to pursue and consummate our initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders, even if that initial business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our officers’ and directors’ financial incentives to complete our initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with 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. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 37,139,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of common stock, which amount does not take into account the shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be 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 (including pursuant to a specified future issuance) or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we may not issue securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination). However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.

 

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These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares.

 

The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:

 

  · may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this 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 of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
     
  · may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, common stock and/or warrants.

 

We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.

 

In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share, or at a price that approximates the per-share amount in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.10. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-initial business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.

 

Holders of warrants will not participate in liquidating distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period.

 

If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the trust account, the warrants will expire and holders will not receive any of such proceeds with respect to the warrants. The foregoing may provide a financial incentive to public stockholders to vote in favor of any proposed initial business combination as each of their warrants would entitle the holder to receive or purchase additional shares of common stock, resulting in an increase in their overall economic stake in us. If an initial business combination is not approved, the warrants will expire and will be worthless.

 

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We are registering the offer and sale of the shares of common stock underlying the public warrants under the Securities Act; however, we cannot assure you that such registration will be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.

 

Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the offer and sale of such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise that represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the offer and sale of the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption is available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the offer and sale of the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Notwithstanding the above, if our common stock are, at the time of any exercise of a warrant, not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the 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 common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the offer and sale of such shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering.

 

If you exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis,” you will receive fewer shares of common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

 

There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. First, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Second, if our common stock is at any 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, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. Third, if we call the public warrants for redemption, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (as defined in the next sentence) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average volume weighted average last reported sale price of the common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer shares of common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

 

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An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant for cash if the issuance of common stock upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.

 

No public warrants will be exercisable for cash and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless the shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the common shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.

 

Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis may cause holders to receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.

 

If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise their warrant (including any warrants held by our initial stockholders and/or their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of shares of common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be less than it would have been had such holder exercised their warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.

 

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a way that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding warrants.

 

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as warrant agent, and us. Our warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision. Our warrant agreement will require the approval by the holders of 65% of the then-outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that increases the warrant price or shortens the exercise period of the warrant, or amends the terms of the private placement warrants or working capital warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of a majority of the then-outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of a majority of the then-outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

 

Our initial stockholders may purchase public warrants with the intention of reducing the number of public warrants outstanding, or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to warrant holders for approval, including amending the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. While our initial stockholders, our officers, and our directors have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for such transactions, there is no limit on the number of our public warrants that our initial stockholders may purchase and it is not currently known how many public warrants, if any, our initial stockholders may hold at the time of our initial business combination or at any other time during which the terms of the public warrants may be proposed to be amended.

 

Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.

 

Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, 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.

 

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, or a foreign action, in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions, or an enforcement action,, and (y) having service of proves made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrantholder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrantholder.

 

The choice-of-forum provision in our warrant agreement may (1) result in increased costs for investors to bring a claim or (2) limit a warrantholder’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 note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

We have no obligation to net cash settle the warrants.

 

In no event will we have any obligation to net cash settle the warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.

 

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 common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing once the warrants become exercisable and 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 not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement units will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees.

 

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Our warrants and founder shares may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 shares of our common stock (or up to 11,500,000 shares of common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus. In addition, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing, in the private placement, warrants to purchase 361,000 shares of common stock (or up to 376,000 shares of common stock depending on the extent to which the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised), as part of the private placement units issued in the private placement. Each warrant will be exercisable for one share of common stock at an exercise price of $11.50. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares, and we will be issuing to our sponsor, in a private placement, 361,000 (or up to 376,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) shares of our common stock, as part of the private placement units issued in the private placement.

 

To the extent we issue shares of common stock to effectuate our initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of common stock upon exercise of these warrants and redemption rights could make us a less attractive initial business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our common stock and reduce the value of the shares of common stock issued to complete our initial business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

 

The private placement units, including the warrants underlying the private placement units, are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, (i) they (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) they will be entitled to registration rights, and (iii) for so long as they are held by our initial stockholders, will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g).

 

A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate our initial business combination.

 

If:

 

  · we issue additional shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and

 

  · the Market Value is below $9.20 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like),

 

then the exercise price of each warrant will be adjusted such that the effective exercise price per full share will be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate our initial business combination with a target business.

 

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The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Pursuant to the letter agreements, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement units and the founder shares held, or to be held, by them, and may demand that we register such warrants or the common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our 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 common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise their redemption rights may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable initial business combination or optimize our capital structure.

 

If our initial business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many public stockholders may exercise redemption rights, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such redemption, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our initial business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive initial business combination available to us.

 

In connection with any meeting held to approve our initial business combination, we will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of the proposed initial business combination and still seek redemption of its shares.

 

In connection with any meeting held to approve our initial business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our initial stockholders, officers or directors) the right to have their shares of common stock redeemed for cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed initial business combination; provided that a stockholder must in fact vote for or against a proposed initial business combination in order to have their shares of common stock redeemed for cash. This threshold and the ability to seek redemption while voting in favor of a proposed initial business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.

 

A public stockholder that fails to vote either in favor of or against a proposed initial business combination will not be able to have their shares converted for cash.

 

In order for a public stockholder to have their shares converted for cash in connection with any proposed initial business combination, that public stockholder must vote either in favor of or against a proposed initial business combination. If a public stockholder fails to vote in favor of or against a proposed initial business combination, whether that stockholder abstains from the vote or simply does not vote, that stockholder would not be able to have their shares of common stock so converted for cash in connection with such initial business combination.

 

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We will require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination or amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

 

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed initial business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we convert their shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it typically takes a short amount of time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.

 

Redeeming stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed initial business combination is not approved.

 

We will require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares of common stock in connection with any proposed initial business combination to comply with the delivery requirements discussed above for redemption. If such proposed initial business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish, even while other stockholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.

 

Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive initial business combination.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting initial business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses 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, seeking stockholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in connection with any proposed initial business combination may delay the consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.

 

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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 common stock and could entrench management.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

Section 203 of the DGCL affects the ability of an “interested stockholder” to engage in certain initial business combinations, for a period of three years following the time that the stockholder becomes an “interested stockholder.” We will elect in our certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. Nevertheless, our certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that it will provide that affiliates of our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and will therefore not be subject to such restrictions. These charter provisions may limit the ability of third parties to acquire control of our company.

 

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 initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive $10.10 per share or even less (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless.

 

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the private placement will be sufficient to allow us to consummate our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction or our costs to operate or locate a transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering 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 initial business combination. Financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment has made it especially difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular initial 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 $10.10 per share or even less (whether or not the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full) on our redemption, and the warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to consummate our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.

 

Our initial stockholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

 

Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own shares representing approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (including the shares of common stock underlying the private placement units and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our common stock. In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other 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 units in this offering or any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two 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 initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of our initial business combination. If there is an annual meeting, only a portion of our board of directors will be considered for election due to our “staggered” board of directors. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote. Please see “Proposed Business — Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our initial business combination.”

 

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A.G.P. may have a conflict of interest in connection with our initial business combination.

 

We have engaged A.G.P. to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay A.G.P. a cash fee of $500,000 for such services at the closing of this offering, together with an additional marketing fee equal to 4.5% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering only if we consummate our initial business combination. The representative shares transferred from our sponsor to A.G.P. and/or its designees for $6,522 will also be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. These financial interests may result in A.G.P. having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with our initial business combination.

 

The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry.

 

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, and the price and terms of the units, including the shares of common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

  · the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;

 

  · prior offerings of those companies;

 

  · our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;

 

  · a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;

 

  · our capital structure;

 

  · an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;

 

  · general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and

 

  · other factors as were deemed relevant.

 

Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.

 

There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

 

There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential initial business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

 

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Once initially listed on Nasdaq, our securities may not continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

 

We anticipate that our securities will be initially listed on Nasdaq upon consummation of this offering. However, we cannot assure you of this or that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, the Nasdaq stock exchange may require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

  · a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

  · a reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;

 

  · a determination that our shares of common stock are a “penny stock” that will require brokers trading in our shares of common stock to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our shares of common stock;

 

  · a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; 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, that are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, common stock and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.

 

Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. 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 all public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not comply with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition. Furthermore, any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior 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.

 

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We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete our initial business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate initial business combination.

 

In order to effectuate our initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.

 

In order to effectuate our initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of initial business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate our initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require a vote of holder of 65% of our common stock, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of 65% of the then-outstanding public warrants. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to change fundamentally the nature of any securities offered through the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate our 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-initial business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of our initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions 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 majority of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity, on any amendment to certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own up to 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), 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 that govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

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Our initial stockholders, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in the letter agreements. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, this agreement and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our initial stockholders, officers, or directors for any breach of this agreement. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our securities less attractive to investors.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three-year period exceeds $1.0 billion, or revenues exceeds $1.07 billion, or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth company, we are not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and we are exempt from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. Additionally, as an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our shares less attractive because we may rely on these provisions. If some investors find our shares less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our shares and our share price 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, will not adopt the new or revised standard until the time private companies are required to adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used.

 

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Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

 

As of September 30, 2021, we had $11,437 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $275,163, and we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our initial business combination. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.

 

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

 

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit and between a share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock which is included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law. It is also unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares of common stock suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company or our company’s directors, officers or other employees.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company; (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee, agent, or stockholder 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 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 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) that 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 inclusion of such provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not be deemed to be a waiver by our stockholders of our obligation to comply with federal securities laws, rules and regulations, and 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.

 

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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.

 

General Risks

 

If we effect our initial business combination with a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

 

If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, 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 or currency redemption or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

  · laws governing the manner in which future initial business combinations may be effected;

 

  · exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;

 

  · tariffs and trade barriers;

 

  · regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

  · longer payment cycles;

 

  · tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

 

  · currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

  · rates of inflation;

 

  · challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

  · cultural and language differences;

 

  · employment regulations;

 

  · crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars;

 

 

·

 

·

deterioration of political relations with the United States; and

 

government appropriations of assets.

 

We may not be able to address adequately these additional risks, and if we are unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

 

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If we effect an initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

 

If we effect an initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under federal securities laws.

 

There are costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations.

 

Managing a business, operations, personnel or assets in another country is challenging and costly. Any management that we may have (whether based abroad or in the United States) may be inexperienced in cross- border business practices and unaware of significant differences in accounting rules, legal regimes and labor practices. Even with a seasoned and experienced management team, the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, personnel and assets can be significant (and much higher than in a purely domestic business) and may negatively impact our financial and operational performance.

 

Social unrest, acts of terrorism, regime changes, changes in laws and regulations, political upheaval, or policy changes or enactments may occur in a country in which we may operate after we effect our initial business combination.

 

Political events in another country may significantly affect our business, assets or operations. Social unrest, acts of terrorism, regime changes, changes in laws and regulations, political upheaval, and policy changes or enactments could negatively impact our business in a particular country.

 

Many countries have difficult and unpredictable legal systems and underdeveloped laws and regulations that are unclear and subject to corruption and inexperience.

 

Our ability to seek and enforce legal protections, including with respect to intellectual property and other property rights, or to defend ourselves with regard to legal actions taken against us in a given country, may be difficult or impossible, which could adversely impact our operations, assets or financial condition.

 

Rules and regulations in many countries are often ambiguous or open to differing interpretation by responsible individuals and agencies at the municipal, state, regional and federal levels. The attitudes and actions of such individuals and agencies are often difficult to predict and inconsistent.

 

Delay with respect to the enforcement of particular rules and regulations, including those relating to customs, tax, environmental and labor, could cause serious disruption to operations abroad and negatively impact our results.

 

If relations between the United States and foreign governments deteriorate, it could cause potential target businesses or their goods and services to become less attractive.

 

The relationship between the United States and foreign governments could be subject to sudden fluctuation and periodic tension. For instance, the United States may announce its intention to impose quotas on certain imports. Such import quotas may adversely affect political relations between the two countries and result in retaliatory countermeasures by the foreign government in industries that may affect our ultimate target business. Changes in political conditions in foreign countries and changes in the state of U.S. relations with such countries are difficult to predict and could adversely affect our operations or cause potential target businesses or their goods and services to become less attractive. Because we are not limited to any specific industry, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible extent of any impact on our ultimate operations if relations are strained between the United States and a foreign country in which we acquire a target business or move our principal manufacturing or service operations.

 

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If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws.

 

Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as our officers or directors, and the management of the target business at the time of the initial business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with our laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues, which may adversely affect our operations.

 

Currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.

 

In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in regions in which potential targets are located may fluctuate and may be affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.

 

Because foreign law could govern our material agreements, we may not be able to enforce our rights within such jurisdiction or elsewhere.

 

Foreign law could govern our material agreements. The target business may not be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available outside of such foreign jurisdiction’s legal system. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws and contracts in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The judiciaries in certain foreign countries may be relatively inexperienced in enforcing corporate and commercial law, leading to a higher than usual degree of uncertainty as to the outcome of any litigation, any such jurisdictions may not favor outsiders or could be corrupt. As a result, the inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business and business opportunities.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

Certain statements contained in this prospectus, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance, and any other statements of a future or forward-looking nature, constitute “forward-looking statements” for the purpose of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward- looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

 

  · our ability to complete our initial business combination;

 

  · our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;

 

  · our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;

 

  · our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;

 

  · our pool of prospective target businesses;

 

  · the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities;

 

  · the delisting of our securities from Nasdaq or an inability to have our securities listed on Nasdaq following an initial business combination that would affect the liquidity of our securities;

 

  · potential changes in control of us if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock

 

  · our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act;

 

  · potential changes in control of us if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock;

 

  · the lack of a market for our securities; or

 

  · our financial performance following this offering or following our initial business combination..

 

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 29. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We are offering 10,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, together with the funds we receive from the sale of the private placement units (a portion of which will be deposited into the trust account such that, at the time of the closing of this offering, $101,000,000 (or $116,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be held in the trust account), will be used as set forth in the following table:

 

SPAC Sponsor Return Model

Use of IPO Proceeds

 

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

    Without
Over-
Allotment
Option
    Over-Allotment
Option Exercised
 
Gross proceeds                
From offering   $ 100,000,000     $ 115,000,000  
From sale of private placement units   $ 3,610,000     $ 3,760,000  
Total gross proceeds   $ 103,610,000     $ 118,760,000  
Offering expenses(1)                
Non-contingent underwriting fee (2)   $ 500,000     $ 500,000  
Issuer legal fees and expenses   $ 225,000     $ 225,000  
AGP legal fees and expenses   $ 150,000     $ 150,000  
Accounting fees & expenses   $ 40,000     $ 40,000  
SEC/FINRA fees & expenses   $ 62,445     $ 62,445  
Nasdaq listing and filing fees   $ 75,000     $ 75,000  
Printing and engraving expenses   $ 35,000     $ 35,000  
Miscellaneous   $ 97,555     $ 97,555  
Total offering expenses paid at IPO   $ 1,185,000     $ 1,185,000  
                 
Net proceeds (does not include any business combination market fee payable to A.G.P.)(3)   $ 102,425,000     $ 117,575,000  
Held in the trust account   $ 101,000,000     $ 116,150,000  
% of public offering size held in trust account(4)     101 %     101 %
Not held in the trust account(4)   $ 1,425,000     $ 1,425,000  
                 
Use of Net Proceeds Not Held in the Trust Account                
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination   $ 600,000       42.10 %
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations, including certain regulatory fees and Nasdaq continued listing fees   $ 150,000       10.53 %
Director and officer liability insurance premiums   $ 600,000       42.11 %
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income)   $ 75,000       5.26 %
Total   $ 1,425,000       100.00 %

 

(1) The offering expenses relate to all expenses associated with the offering. However, a portion of the offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have already been paid from the funds we received as loans from our insiders described below. Our sponsor has agreed to apply all of the proceeds from the repayment of the notes to it to the pro rata portion of the private placement units our sponsor has committed to purchase.

 

(2) No discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to the purchase of the private placement units.

 

(3) Does not include the compensation of $4,500,000 (or $5,175,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) representing the initial business combination marketing fee payable as described under the section “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” equal to 4.5% of the proceeds from this Offering.

 

(4) These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of that initial business combination. We do not anticipate any change in the categories of our intended use of proceeds.

 

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A total of $10.10 per unit (whether or not the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the net proceeds from this offering, together with a portion of the proceeds of the sale of the private placement units in the private placement, will be placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC acting as trustee and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills, notes and bonds with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest solely in U.S. Treasuries. Except for all interest income that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, and up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses, as discussed below, none of the funds held in the trust account will be released from the trust account until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering and (ii) a redemption to public stockholders prior to any voluntary winding-up in the event we do not consummate our initial business combination within the applicable period.

 

The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using shares or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the purchase price in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the cash released from the trust account that is not applied to the purchase price for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

 

We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of our initial business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, or the amount of interest available to use from the trust account is minimal as a result of the current interest rate environment, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. In this event, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from members of our initial stockholders and their affiliates, but no such persons are under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

 

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. Furthermore, the redemption threshold may be further limited by the terms and conditions of our initial business combination. In such case, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate initial business combination.

 

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our consummation of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) following the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, or (iii) if we seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem all public shares if we cannot complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) of the closing of this offering and such amendment is duly approved. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

 

Our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any shares they own in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, including their founder shares and common stock acquired as part of the private placement units. In addition, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions with respect to its founder shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to receive liquidating distributions with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the required time period.

 

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time and subject to the Delaware law. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which case we will effect a share dividend immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain our initial stockholders’ ownership at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering (excluding the representative shares and the private placement units and underlying securities and assuming the initial stockholders do not purchase units in this offering)). Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

 

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DILUTION

 

The difference between the public offering price per share of our common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement units, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the warrants included in the private placement units, which would cause the actual dilution to our public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of shares of our common stock that may be redeemed for cash), by the number of shares of outstanding common stock.

 

At September 30, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $275,163, or approximately $(0.10) per common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 10,000,000 shares of common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 11,500,000 shares of common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement units and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at September 30, 2021, would have been $1,446,962 or $0.51 per share (or $1,446,962 or $0.45 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 10,000,000 shares of our common stock that may be redeemed for cash or 11,500,000 shares of our common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $0.61 per share (or $0.55 per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Total dilution to public stockholders from this offering will be $9.49 per share (or $9.55 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The following table illustrates the dilution to our public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units:

 

    Without
Over-
allotment
    With full
exercise of
Over-
allotment
 
Public offering price   $ 10.00     $ 10.00  
Net tangible book deficit before this offering     (0.10)       (0.10 )
Increase (decrease) attributable to public stockholders     0.61       0.55  
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering     0.51       0.45  
Dilution to public stockholders   $ 9.49     $ 9.55  
Percentage of dilution to public stockholders     94.9 %     95.5 %

 

For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $101,000,000 because holders of up to 100.0% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or stockholder meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares.

 

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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and our public stockholders (assuming that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised):

 

    Shares Purchased     Total Consideration     Average
Price
 
    Number     Percentage     Number     Percentage     Per Share  
Initial stockholders(1)     2,500,000       19.44 %   $ 25,000       0.02 %   $ 0.001  
Public stockholders     10,000,000       77.75 %   $ 100,000,000       96.50 %   $ 10.00  
Private Placement Units     361,000       2.81 %   $ 3,610,000       3.48   $ 10.00  
      12,861,000       100.00 %   $ 103,635,000       100.00 %        

 

  (1) This number excludes an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters.

 

The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering is calculated as follows:

 

    Without
Over-
    With full
exercise of
Over-
 
    allotment     allotment  
Numerator:                
Net tangible book deficit before this offering   $ (275,163 )   $ (275,163 )
Net proceeds from this offering (1)   $ 102,425,000       117,575,000  
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value   $ 297,125       297,125  
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(2)   $ (101,000,000 )     (116,150,000 )
    $ 1,446,962     $ 1,446,962  
Denominator:                
Common stock outstanding prior to this offering     2,875,000       2,875,000  
Common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised     (375,000 )     -  
Common stock included in the units offered     10,000,000       11,500,000  
Common stock included in the private placement units     361,000       376,000  
Less: Shares subject to redemption(2)     (10,000,000 )     (11,500,000 )
      2,861,000       3,251,000  

 

  (1) Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $685,000 and underwriting commissions of $500,000 (excluding deferred underwriting commissions). See “Use of Proceeds.”

  (2) If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase public shares or public units in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of shares of common stock subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”

 

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the sale of our units in this offering and the private placement, and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:

 

    September 30, 2021  
    Actual     As Adjusted (1)  
Note payable to related parties (2)   $ 55,000     $ -  
   
Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; -0- and 10,000,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)(4)   $ -       101,000,000  
Stockholders’ Equity:                
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted     -       -  
Common stock, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 2,875,000 and 2,861,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(5)   $ 287       286  
Additional paid-in capital(6)   $ 24,713       1,449,714  
Accumulated deficit   $ (3,038 )     (3,038
Total stockholders' equity   $ 21,962       1,446,962  
Total capitalization   $ 76,962     $ 102,446,962  

 

(1)Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 375,000 common stock held by our sponsor.

 

(2)Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of September 30, 2021, there was $55,000 outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor.

 

(3)Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes. While redemptions cannot cause our net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, all shares of common stock are redeemable and classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place.

 

(4)All of the 10,000,000 shares of common stock sold as part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with our liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with SEC and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the shares of common stock sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants/units, the initial carrying value of common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. Our common stock is subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, we have the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes immediately.

 

(5)Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

(6)The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is adjusted to zero, with the off-setting balance recorded to accumulated deficit since additional paid-in capital cannot be less than zero.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

We were incorporated on April 28, 2021 as a Delaware corporation to serve as a vehicle to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar initial business combination with one or more target businesses. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic location. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering, the private placement, our securities, debt or a combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting an initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares in our initial business combination:

 

  · may significantly reduce the equity interest of our stockholders;

 

  · may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if we issue preferred shares with rights senior to those afforded to our shares of common stock;

 

  · will likely cause a change in control if a substantial number of our shares of common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and most likely will also result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and

 

  · may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

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Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

 

  · default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations;

 

  · acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant 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; and

 

  · our inability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional financing while such security is outstanding.

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at September 30, 2021, we had $11,437 in cash. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. Our plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful.

 

We are an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.

 

Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events

 

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering and the private placement. Following this offering and the private placement, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of September 30, 2021, we had $11,437 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $275,163. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. Our plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the insider shares and $55,000 of proceeds from the note payable from our sponsor. We estimate that the net proceeds from (1) the sale of the public units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $1,185,000 (including underwriting discounts and commissions of $500,000) and (2) the sale of the private placement units for a purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extend to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), will be $102,425,000, or $117,575,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. This amount does not reflect payment of the $4,500,000 (or $5,175,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) business combination marketing fee payable to A.G.P upon the closing of a business combination.

 

We intend to use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business or businesses and to pay our expenses relating thereto. To the extent that our share capital is used in whole or in part as consideration to consummate our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders’ fees that we had incurred prior to the completion of our initial business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.

 

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We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the approximately $1,425,000 of net proceeds of the private placement not held in the trust account, together with the interest earned on the trust account that is available to us, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended), assuming that an initial business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the initial business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:

 

  · $600,000 of expenses for legal, accounting and other third party expenses attendant to the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of our initial business combination;

 

  · $600,000 of expenses for director and officer liability insurance premiums;
     
  · $75,000 for working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income); and
     
  · $150,000 of expenses for legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations.

 

If our estimates of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. Following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

 

Controls and Procedures

 

We are not currently required to certify an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to certify an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

 

· staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
   
· reconciliation of accounts;
   
· proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;
   
· evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;

 

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· documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
   
· documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

 

Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.

 

Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when, or if, required by Section 404. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

All amounts held in the trust account, will be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest solely in U.S. treasuries. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results

 

As of the date of this prospectus, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.

 

JOBS Act

 

On May 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non- emerging growth companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.

 

PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

Introduction

 

We are a blank check company recently incorporated as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar initial business combination. Our team of experienced executives, entrepreneurs, and investors has a demonstrated track record of stakeholder valuation creation across multiple sectors and at different stages of growth.

 

As discussed further below, we seek to leverage and capitalize on our collective multi-faceted expertise, investing and operating experience, and broad network of relationships to source and evaluate potential transactions and create value for our stakeholders. We believe we have a deep and broad network of relationships and sector expertise to source and evaluate potential transactions, enhancing our ability to position us as a partner of choice with potential target companies. The extensive investing track record and operational experience of the management team and our board of directors, including significant public company executive and board experience are expected to enhance our credibility with prospective investors, and will allow us to be a value-added partner to the management team and stakeholders following our initial business combination. We believe our extensive M&A and capital markets experience, including SPAC experience, will enable us to successfully execute our initial business combination transaction. In addition, we believe having Alliance Global Partners as a significant stakeholder in us will serve as a key competitive advantage given their extensive access to deal flow.

 

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We may pursue our initial business combination in any business or industry but intend to focus our search on a target business in an industry where we believe the expertise of our management team and our board of directors will provide us with a competitive advantage in completing a successful initial business combination. We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $500 million, determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered.

 

Our Management Team

 

For a description of our management team, please see “Summary – Our Management Team”.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our objectives are to generate attractive returns for stockholders and enhance value through (1) completing our initial business combination with a high-quality merger target at an attractive valuation with favorable terms for our stockholders and (2) enhancing operational performance through our team’s experience and by leveraging our expertise and the expertise of our network. We expect to favor potential target companies with certain industry and business characteristics. Key favorable industry characteristics we look for include, but are not limited to, compelling long-term growth prospects, strong secular tailwinds, and highly fragmented markets ripe for consolidation opportunities. We expect our target to possess certain business characteristics such as a leading market position, significant recurring revenue with a diversified customer base, opportunity for operational improvement, and a healthy margin profile with attractive free cash flow characteristics.

 

As we consider specific sectors of focus, we will be guided by three key factors. First, our significant industry and operational expertise. Second, the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as an accelerant of business practices and industry changes. Finally, targeting merger candidates where conditions allow us to influence sufficiently the outcome to produce attractive economic rewards for our stockholders and stakeholders. Our target sectors may include, but are not limited to: infrastructure and environmental services; health, wellness and food sustainability; financial technology and financial services; enterprise software and SaaS; and leisure and hospitality.

 

Our selection process will leverage our network of varied industry, investment bankers, private equity and venture capital, credit fund, and lending community relationships, as well as our relationships with management teams of public and private companies, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of high-quality initial business combination opportunities. We intend to deploy a proactive, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies where we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, capital and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to change a target company and can help accelerate the target’s growth and performance.

 

Our management team and board of directors has experience in:

 

·sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;

 

·operating companies, implementing and executing change-driven strategies, and identifying, monitoring and recruiting industry-leading talent;

 

·fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams;

 

·negotiating transactions favorable to investors;

 

·executing transactions in multiple geographies and under varying economic and financial market conditions;

 

·improving the strategic, operational, organizational and financial effectiveness of companies;

 

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·accessing capital markets, including financing businesses, and managing or assisting companies transitioning from private to public ownership;

 

·acquiring and integrating companies; and

 

·developing and growing companies, both organically and inorganically and expanding the product range and geographic footprint of a number of target businesses.

 

Competitive Advantages

 

We believe our competitive strengths include the following:

 

·Depth of Team and Access to Resources: We have a dedicated management team with a track record of executing on transactions, and the resources to source and evaluate a large number of potential transactions.

 

·Renowned board of directors: We believe that our ability to leverage the experience of our board of directors, comprising senior operating executives across multiple sectors and industries, will provide us with a distinct advantage in being able to source, evaluate and consummate an attractive transaction.

 

·Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships: We believe our capabilities, reputation, and deeply varied industry relationships will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of acquisition opportunities that would be difficult for other participants in the market to replicate.

 

·SPAC Experience: Certain members of our management and advisor teams have significant SPAC experience as founders, investors, and advisors in SPAC transactions. We believe their experience in SPAC transactions provide us with a distinct advantage with respect to understanding the process of sourcing, evaluating and executing on our initial business combination, as well as positioning us as an attractive partner for prospective target companies compared to first-time SPACs with no such prior experience.

 

·Execution and Structuring Capability: We believe our management team and board of directors’ combined expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete a transaction possessing structural attributes that create an attractive investment thesis. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. We believe that by focusing our investment activities on these types of transactions, we can generate investment opportunities that have attractive risk/reward profiles based on their valuations and structural characteristics.

 

·Public Company Experience: Certain members of our management team and board of directors have extensive experience as public company executives and/or board members. This experience will serve as a key competitive advantage in selecting companies that will benefit from going public, positioning us as an attractive partner to management teams of potential target companies, and help to create long-term value post-closing of our initial business combination.

 

Effecting an initial business combination

 

General

 

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units in the private placement, our shares, new debt, or a combination of these, as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to consummate our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth (such as a company that has begun operations but is not yet at the stage of commercial manufacturing and sales), which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

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If our initial business combination is paid for using shares or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the purchase price in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of purchases of our common stock, we may apply the cash released to us from the trust account that is not applied to the purchase price and the initial business combination fee payable to A.G.P. for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

 

We have not identified any acquisition targets. From the period prior to our formation through the date of this prospectus, there have been no communications, evaluations or discussions between any of our officers, directors, or our sponsor, and any of their contacts or relationships, regarding a potential initial business combination. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate. Subject to the requirement that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses or assets having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination, we have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, this assessment may not result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would consummate such financing only simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. In the case of our initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law or the Nasdaq stock exchange, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.

 

Our Acquisition Process

 

While we have not selected any specific initial business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any initial business combination target with respect to our initial business combination with us, we have begun, and will continue to actively engage in, an extensive research effort to identify a large number of potential targets.

 

We intend to leverage our resources and network for efficient outreach to commence immediately after the date of this prospectus. Our effort will be focused on creating proprietary transaction opportunities. We believe personal relationships built over time are critical not just in generating transaction opportunities, but also in consummating an initial business combination. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing our 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 business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

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Our initial stockholders, officers, and directors will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering, and accordingly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular initial 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.

 

Members of our management team or board of directors may from time to time become aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for an initial business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any initial business combination target with respect to an initial business combination transaction with us.

 

Investment Criteria

 

We will use the following investment criteria to screen for and evaluate target businesses although we may pursue opportunities outside of this scope.

 

·Small/Mid-cap Business: We intend to seek to acquire one or more businesses with an aggregate enterprise value in excess of $500 million, determined in the sole discretion of our management team according to reasonably acceptable valuation standards and methodologies, although a target entity with a smaller or larger enterprise value may be considered. Although we have no commitment as of the date of this offering, we expect to issue a substantial number of additional shares of common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a combination thereof, to complete an initial business combination. We believe the small- and mid-cap segment provides the greatest number of opportunities to invest in an attractive target.

 

·Public Company Ready: We will seek to acquire a company that is well-positioned to be a public company in terms of scale and size, and a company that public equity market investors will understand and value. While we believe our public company experience will be a significant asset as a transaction partner to private companies, we intend to avoid companies that have significant deficiencies in financial reporting or general public company readiness.

 

·Generates Stable Free Cash-Flow and/or Annual Recurring Revenue: We will seek to acquire a business that has historically generated, or has the near-term potential to generate, strong and sustainable free cash flow. We also believe that certain business models such as SaaS businesses, financial technology or enterprise software businesses have sustainable annual recurring revenue and are platforms that can be used to create attractively valued public companies.

 

·Would Benefit Distinctly from our Capabilities: We will seek to acquire a business where we can tangibly improve the operations and create long-term value for our stockholders. In particular, we believe our experience in operating and improving public companies, as well as serving on public company boards, would be a value-add to the management teams and boards of potential target companies.

 

·Is Sourced Through our Proprietary Channels: We believe the strength of our network will allow us to source differentiated targets, and even in competitive situations, we believe we would be able to leverage our proprietary relationships and/or insights into potential targets that will create competitive advantages for us.

 

·Has a Dedicated and Proven Management Team: We will seek to acquire a business with a professional management team whose interests are aligned with those of our investors. Where necessary, we may also look to complement and enhance the capabilities of the target business’s management team by recruiting additional talent through our network of contacts.

 

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These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.

 

Our Initial Business Combination Process

 

In evaluating prospective initial business combinations, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review process that may encompass, among other things, a review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with management and their advisors (if applicable), on-site inspection of facilities and assets, discussion with customers and suppliers, legal reviews and other reviews as we deem appropriate. We will leverage our operational and capital allocation experience in order to:

 

oAssemble a team of industry and financial experts: For each potential transaction, we intend to assemble a team of industry and financial experts to supplement our management’s efforts to identify and resolve key issues facing the company. We intend to construct an operating and financial plan which optimizes the potential to grow stockholder value. With extensive experience investing in both healthy and underperforming businesses, we expect that our management will be able to demonstrate to the target business and its stakeholders that we have the resources and expertise to lead the combined company through complex and often turbulent market conditions and provide the strategic and operational direction necessary to grow the business in order to maximize cash flows and improve the overall strategic prospects for the business;

 

oConduct rigorous research and analysis: Performing disciplined, bottom-up fundamental research and analysis is core to our strategy, and we intend to conduct extensive due diligence to evaluate the impact that a transaction may have on the target business;

 

oAcquire the target company at an attractive price relative to our view of its intrinsic value: Combining rigorous bottom-up analysis as well as input from industry and financial experts, the management team intends to develop its view of the intrinsic value of the potential initial business combination. In doing so, the management team will evaluate future cash flow potential, relative industry valuation metrics and precedent transactions to inform its view of intrinsic value, with the intention of creating an initial business combination at an attractive price relative to such view;

 

oImplement operating and financial structuring opportunities: We believe our management team has the ability to structure and execute an initial business combination that will provide the combined business with a capital structure that will support growth in stockholder value and give the combined company the flexibility needed to grow organically and/or through strategic acquisitions or divestitures. We intend to also develop and implement strategies and initiatives to improve the business’s operating and financial performance and create a platform for growth; and

 

oSeek follow-on strategic acquisitions and divestitures to grow further stockholder value: The management team intends to analyze the strategic direction of the company and evaluate non-core asset sales to create financial and/or operating flexibility needed for the company to engage in organic or inorganic growth. Specifically, the management team intends to evaluate opportunities for industry consolidation in the company’s core lines of business as well as opportunities to integrate with other industry participants vertically or horizontally.

 

Following our initial business combination, we intend to evaluate opportunities to enhance stockholder value, including developing and implementing corporate strategies and initiatives to provide financial and operating runway such that the company can improve its profitability and long-term value. In doing so, the management team anticipates evaluating corporate governance, opportunistically accessing capital markets and other opportunities to enhance liquidity, identifying acquisition and divestiture opportunities, and properly aligning management and board incentives with growing stockholder value.

 

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We are not prohibited from pursuing our 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 business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors, or representative. 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 independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company and our stockholders from a financial point of view.

 

Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets

 

While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction; in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction).

 

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which an initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another initial business combination. We will not pay any finders or consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.

 

Fair Market Value of Target Business or Businesses

 

The target business, businesses, or assets with which we effect our initial business combination must have a collective fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination. If we acquire less than 100% of one or more target businesses in our initial business combination, the aggregate fair market value of the portion or portions we acquire must equal at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into such initial business combination. However, we will always acquire at least a controlling interest in a target business. The fair market value of a portion of a target business or assets will likely be calculated by multiplying the fair market value of the entire business by the percentage of the target we acquire. We may seek to consummate our initial business combination with an initial target business or businesses with a collective fair market value in excess of the balance in the trust account. In order to consummate such our initial business combination, we may issue a significant amount of debt, equity or other securities to the sellers of such business and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt, equity or other securities. If we issue securities in order to consummate such our initial business combination, our stockholders could end up owning a minority of the combined company’s voting securities as there is no requirement that our stockholders own a certain percentage of our company (or, depending on the structure of our initial business combination, an ultimate parent company that may be formed) after our initial business combination. Because we have no specific initial business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such arrangement to issue our debt or equity securities and have no current intention of doing so.

 

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The fair market value of a target business or businesses or assets will be determined by our board of directors based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential gross margins, the values of comparable businesses, earnings and cash flow, book value, enterprise value and, where appropriate, upon the advice of appraisers or other professional consultants. Investors will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of a particular target business. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine that the target business or assets has a sufficient fair market value to meet the threshold criterion, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we seek to acquire with respect to the satisfaction of such criterion. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless we consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business we seek to acquire, that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders.

 

Lack of Business Diversification

 

We may seek to effect an initial business combination with more than one target business, although we expect to complete our initial business combination with just one business. For an indefinite period of time after consummation of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete initial business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By consummating our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

 

  · subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and

 

  · cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.

 

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team

 

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. The future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. Consequently, members of our management team may not become a part of the target’s management team, and the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Further, it is also not certain whether one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination. Moreover, members of our management team may not have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business. Our key personnel may not remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

 

Following our initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We may not have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

 

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Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve our Initial Business Combination

 

In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which our public stockholders may seek to convert their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed initial business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable); or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have agreed, pursuant to the letter agreements with us, not to convert any public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender any or all of their public shares rather than some pro rata portion of their shares. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us 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. If we so choose and we are legally permitted to do so, we have the flexibility to avoid a stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act that regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC that will contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination.

 

We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate our initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, our net tangible asset threshold may limit our ability to consummate such initial business combination (as we may be required to have a lesser number of shares converted or sold to us) and may force us to seek third party financing that may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.

 

Our initial stockholders and our officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination; (2) not to convert any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination; and (3) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and the private placement units, we would need only 3,569,501 or 35.7%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Our initial stockholders, directors, and officers, and their permitted transferees will own shares representing approximately 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders, directors, and officers 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. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor

 

None of our officers, directors, initial stockholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares of common stock in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed initial business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed initial business combination, our officers, directors, initial stockholders or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, initial stockholders and their affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s stock.

 

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Permitted Purchases of our Securities

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any their respective affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions.

 

In the event our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. 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. 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. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination.

 

The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of our initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares of common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, and/or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, or any of their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, or any of their respective affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination. Such persons would select the stockholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, and/or any of their respective affiliates will purchase shares only if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws

 

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Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors, and/or any of their respective affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors, and/or any of their respective affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchases are subject to such reporting requirements.

 

Conversion/Tender Rights

 

At any meeting called to approve our initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to convert their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed initial business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have agreed, pursuant to the letter agreements with us, not to convert any founder shares or public shares held by them into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account. If we hold a meeting to approve our initial business combination, a holder will always have the ability to vote against a proposed initial business combination and not seek conversion of their shares.

 

Alternatively, if we engage in a tender offer, each public stockholder will be provided the opportunity to sell their public shares to us in such tender offer. The tender offer rules require us to hold the tender offer open for at least 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether they want to sell their public shares to us in the tender offer or remain an investor in our company.

 

Our initial stockholders will not have conversion rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket.

 

We may also require public stockholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, at any time at or prior to the vote on the initial business combination. The proxy solicitation materials that we will furnish to stockholders in connection with the vote for any proposed initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time our proxy statement is mailed through the vote on the initial business combination to deliver their shares if he wishes to seek to exercise their conversion rights. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we are required to provide at least 10 days’ advance notice of any stockholder meeting, which would be the minimum amount of time a stockholder would have to determine whether to exercise conversion rights. As a result, if we require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares of common stock into the right to receive a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account to comply with the foregoing delivery requirements, holders may not have sufficient time to receive the notice and deliver their shares for conversion. Accordingly, investors may not be able to exercise their conversion rights and may be forced to retain our securities when they otherwise would not want to. The conversion rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to redeem its shares validly.

 

There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise conversion rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise conversion rights to deliver their shares prior to the consummation of the proposed initial business combination and the proposed initial business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

 

Any request to convert or tender such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed initial business combination or expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered their certificate in connection with an election of their conversion or tender and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the initial business combination or the expiration of the tender offer not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

 

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If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their conversion or tender rights would not be entitled to convert their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.

 

Liquidation of Trust Account if No Initial Business Combination

 

If we do not complete an initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, 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 100% of the outstanding public shares; 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 the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

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 100% of our outstanding public shares (excluding the founder shares) in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any redemptions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a redemption 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.

 

Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares (excluding our founder shares) in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation 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 liquidation distribution. It is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 12th month (or up to the 18th month, if extended) from the closing of this offering, but not more than five business days thereafter, and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the above procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to seeking to complete our initial business combination, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses.

 

We will seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into valid and enforceable agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. The underwriters in this offering will execute such a waiver agreement.

 

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As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. In the event that a potential contracted party was to refuse to execute such a waiver, we will execute an agreement with that entity only if our management first determines that we would be unable to obtain, on a reasonable basis, substantially similar services or opportunities from another entity willing to execute such a waiver. Examples of instances where we may engage a third party that refused to execute a waiver would be the engagement of a third party consultant who cannot sign such an agreement due to regulatory restrictions, such as our auditors who are unable to sign due to independence requirements, or whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or a situation in which management does not believe it would be able to find a provider of required services willing to provide the waiver. There is also no guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than approximately $10.10 due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate sum equal to the amount then held in the trust account, inclusive of any interest not previously released to us, (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors as described below).

 

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination and are forced to redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a portion of the funds held in the trust account, we anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than 5 business days to effectuate the redemption of our public shares. Our insiders have waived their rights to participate in any redemption with respect to their insider shares. We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be paid from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,425,000 of proceeds from the sale of the private placement units, which proceeds will be held outside of the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if such proceeds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not otherwise used by us to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses. Each holder of public shares will receive a full pro rata portion of the amount then in the trust account, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us or necessary to pay our taxes. The proceeds deposited in the trust account, however, could become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.

 

Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete our initial business combination in the required time period or if the stockholders seek to have us convert their respective shares of common stock upon an initial business combination that is actually completed by us. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

 

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case 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 redemption or conversion amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.10.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. Claims may be brought against us for these reasons.

 

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Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of 65% of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose, subject to the restrictions set forth in this prospectus. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:

 

If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, 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 subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution costs and 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;

 

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 on any initial business combination;

 

Although we do not intend to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors, or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;

 

If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; whether or not we maintain our registration under the our Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above;

 

So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more initial 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 fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” 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 stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to offer redemption rights in connection with any proposed initial business combination or certain amendments to our charter prior thereto or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (and up to $100,000 to pay our dissolution costs and expenses), divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares; and

 

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We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to, or upon consummation of, our initial business combination, after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions.

 

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “initial business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the initial business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced (excluding certain shares); or

 

on or subsequent to such time, the initial business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholders.

 

Generally, a “initial business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock.

 

Under some circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who is an interested stockholder to effect various initial business combinations with us for a three-year period.

 

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that our initial stockholders and their various affiliates, successors, and transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to this provision.

 

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized by unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

 

Exclusive forum for certain lawsuits

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer, employee, agent to us or out stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (d) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware lacks jurisdiction over such action or proceeding, then another court of the State of Delaware or, if no court of the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, then the United States District Court for the District of Delaware). Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe this forum provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of Delaware (a “foreign action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (ii) 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.

 

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not purport to require suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act to be brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or another court of the State of Delaware. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates a concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As noted above, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

Special meeting of stockholders

 

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our Chief Executive Officer or by our Chairperson.

 

Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations

 

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders, must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be received by our secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the opening of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by us. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.

 

Classified Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors will initially be divided into two classes, Class I and Class II with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of our board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preferred stock, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, but only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then-outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.

 

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Potential Revisions to Agreements with Insiders

 

Our initial stockholders, directors, and officers have entered into the letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to do certain things relating to us and our activities prior to an initial business combination. We could seek to amend the letter agreements without the approval of stockholders, although we have no intention to do so. In particular:

 

  · Restrictions relating to liquidating the trust account if we failed to consummate an initial business combination in the time-frames specified above could be amended, but only if we allowed all stockholders to redeem their shares in connection with such amendment;

 

  · Restrictions relating to our insiders being required to vote in favor of an initial business combination or against any amendments to our organizational documents could be amended to allow our insiders to vote on a transaction as they wished;

 

  · The requirement of members of the management team to remain our officer or director until the closing of an initial business combination could be amended to allow persons to resign from their positions with us if, for example, the current management team was having difficulty locating a target business and another management team had a potential target business;

 

  · The restrictions on transfer of our securities could be amended to allow transfer to third parties who were not members of our original management team;

 

  · The obligation of our management team to not propose amendments to our organizational documents could be amended to allow them to propose such changes to our stockholders;

 

  · The obligation of insiders to not receive any compensation in connection with an initial business combination could be modified in order to allow them to receive such compensation;

 

  · The requirement to obtain a valuation for any target business affiliated with our insiders, in the event it was too expensive to do so.

 

Except as specified above, stockholders would not be required to be given the opportunity to redeem their shares in connection with such changes. Such changes could result in:

 

  · Our having an extended period of time to consummate an initial business combination (although with less in trust as a certain number of our stockholders would certainly redeem their shares in connection with any such extension);

 

  · Our insiders being able to vote against an initial business combination or in favor of changes to our organizational documents;

 

  · Our operations being controlled by a new management team that our stockholders did not elect to invest with;

 

  · Our insiders receiving compensation in connection with an initial business combination; and

 

  · Our insiders closing a transaction with one of their affiliates without receiving an independent valuation of such business.

 

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We will not agree to any such changes unless we believed that such changes were in the best interests of our stockholders (for example, if we believed such a modification were necessary to complete an initial business combination). Each of our officers and directors have fiduciary obligations to us requiring that they act in our best interests and the best interests of our stockholders.

 

Competition

 

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions.

 

Many of these entities are well established and have significant experience identifying and effecting initial 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, the requirement that we acquire a target business or businesses having a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights and the number of our outstanding warrants and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination.

 

Facilities

 

We currently maintain our executive offices at 42 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10004. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

Employees

 

We currently have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the initial business combination process. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

 

We will register our units, shares of common stock, and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual report will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.

 

We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, the financial information included in the proxy solicitation materials will need to be prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. The financial statements may also be required to be prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP for the Form 8-K announcing the closing of our initial business combination, which would need to be filed within four business days thereafter. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial information. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.

 

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We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act beginning for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

 

Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior December 31st, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such, and we and our officers and directors have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.

 

Comparison to Offerings of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

 

The following table compares and contrasts the terms of our offering and the terms of an offering of blank check companies under Rule 419 promulgated by the SEC assuming that the gross proceeds, underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses for the Rule 419 offering are the same as this offering and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the terms of a Rule 419 offering will apply to this offering because we will be listed on a national securities exchange, we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,001 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact.

 

   Terms of the Offering  Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Escrow of offering proceeds  $101,000,000, consisting of the net offering proceeds, as well as a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement units, which will be deposited into a trust account in the United States, maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, acting as trustee.  $85,500,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker- dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.

 

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Investment of net proceeds  The $101,000,000 of the net offering proceeds, as well as a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement units, held in trust will only be invested in United States government treasury bills, bonds or notes with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting the applicable conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act and that invest solely in United States government treasuries.  Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.
       
Limitation on fair value or net
assets of target business
  The initial target business that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in our trust account (excluding the fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination.  We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
       
Trading of securities issued  The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The shares of common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless A.G.P. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading (based upon its assessment of the relative strengths of the securities markets and small capitalization and blank check companies in general, and the trading pattern of, and demand for, our securities in particular), provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering.  No trading of the units or the underlying securities would be permitted until the completion of an initial business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.
       
Exercise of the warrants  The warrants cannot be exercised until the completion of an initial business combination and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed.  The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of an initial business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.

 

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   Terms of the Offering  Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Election to remain an investor  We will either (1) give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the initial business combination or;  (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed initial business combination, we will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we must provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of stockholders. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise their rights to convert their shares into cash at such a meeting or to remain an investor in our company. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC that will contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination as we would have included in a proxy statement.  A prospectus containing information required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify us, in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a stockholder of ours or require the return of their investment. If we have not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account would be returned automatically to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued.
       
   The tender offer rules require us to hold the tender offer open for at least 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether they want to sell their shares to us in the tender offer or remain an investor in our company.   
       
Initial business combination
deadline
  Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the consummation of this offering, it will trigger our automatic winding up, dissolution and liquidation.  If an acquisition has not been consummated within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors.

 

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Interest earned on the funds in
the trust account
  There can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our tax obligations. The remaining interest earned on the funds in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination and our entry into liquidation upon failure to effect an initial business combination within the allotted time.  All interest earned on the funds in the trust account will be held in trust for the benefit of public stockholders until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect an initial business combination within the allotted time.
       
Release of funds  Except for interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination (in which case, the proceeds released to us will be net of the funds used to pay converting or tendering stockholders, as the trustee will directly send the appropriate portion of the amount held in trust to the converting or tendering stockholders at the time of the initial business combination) and the liquidation of our trust account upon failure to effect an initial business combination within the allotted time.  The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination or the failure to effect an initial business combination within the allotted time.

 

MANAGEMENT

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

Our directors and officers upon the consummation of this offering will be the following:

 

Name  Age  Position
Stephen Christoffersen  36  Chief Executive Officer and Director Nominee*
William Lischak  64  Chief Financial Officer and Director
Ade Okunubi  38  Director Nominee*
Ali Jahangiri  46  Director Nominee*
Robin L. Smith  56  Director Nominee*
Adam K. Stern  57  Director Nominee*

 

*This individual will occupy the position of director on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

For a description of our management team, please see “Summary – Our Management Team”.

 

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Executive Compensation

 

Other than certain fees payable to A.G.P. as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest”, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s, consulting, or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, including our directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination. However, such individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable initial business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of these out-of-pocket expenses and there will be no review of the reasonableness of the expenses by anyone other than our board of directors and audit committee, which includes persons who may seek reimbursement, or a court of competent jurisdiction if such reimbursement is challenged.

 

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

 

Director Independence

 

The Nasdaq requires that a majority of our board must be composed of “independent directors,” which is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

 

Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, Ade Okunubi, Ali Jahangiri, Robin L. Smith, and Adam K. Stern will be our independent directors.

 

Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Any affiliated transactions will be on terms that our board believes are no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

 

Audit Committee

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish an audit committee of our board of directors, which will consist of Ade Okunubi, Robin L. Smith, and Adam K. Stern, each of whom will be an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act. Ade Okunubi will be the Chairperson of the audit committee. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in the Audit Committee’s Charter, include, but are not limited to:

 

  · reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K;

 

  · discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements;

 

  · discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies;

 

  · monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;

 

  · verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;

 

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  · reviewing and approving all related-party transactions;

 

  · inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 

  · pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

 

  · appointing or replacing the independent auditor;

 

  · determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

 

  · establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and

 

  · approving reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in identifying potential target businesses.

 

Financial Experts on Audit Committee

 

Pursuant to Nasdaq rules, the audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

 

Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Ade Okunubi qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC, which generally is any person who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s financial sophistication.

 

Nominating Committee

 

Effective as of the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating committee of our board of directors, which will consist of Ade Okunubi and Ali Jahangiri, each of whom is an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards. Ali Jahangiri will be the Chairperson of the nominating committee. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and others.

 

Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees

 

The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:

 

  · should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;

 

  · should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to our board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and

 

  · should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the stockholders.

 

The nominating committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on our board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by stockholders and other persons.

 

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Compensation Committee

 

Effective as of the date of this prospectus, we will establish a compensation committee of our board of directors, which will consist of Robin L. Smith and Ali Jahangiri, each of whom is an independent director under the Nasdaq listing standards. Robin L. Smith will be the Chairperson of the compensation committee. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

 

  · reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer’s based on such evaluation;

 

  · reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers;

 

  · reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

  · implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

 

  · assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

  · approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

 

  · if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

  · reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than fees payable to A.G.P. as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest”, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting, or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our initial stockholders, our directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.

 

Code of Ethics

 

Effective upon consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business.

 

Internet Website

 

Our internet website is www.westernacquisitionventures.com. Copies of our governance guidelines, code of ethics and the charters of the Audit Committee, nominating committee and compensation committee will be posted on our website and may also be obtained free of charge by writing to our Secretary, Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. 42 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10004.

 

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Conflicts of Interest

 

Potential investors should be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:

 

  · None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities.

 

  · In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management has pre-existing fiduciary duties and contractual obligations and if there is a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular business opportunity should be presented, any pre-existing fiduciary obligation will be presented the opportunity before we are presented with it.

 

  · Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities, including other blank check companies, engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by our company.

 

  · The insider shares owned by our officers and directors will be released from escrow only if an initial business combination is successfully completed and subject to certain other limitations. Additionally, our officers and directors will not receive distributions from the trust account with respect to any of their insider shares if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors may loan funds to us after this offering and may be owed reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with certain activities on our behalf that would only be repaid if we complete our initial business combination. For the foregoing reasons, the personal and financial interests of our directors and executive officers may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, completing an initial business combination in a timely manner and securing the release of their shares.

 

In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:

 

  · the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

 

  · the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and

 

  · it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

 

Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest that may arise from multiple affiliations, our officers and directors (other than our independent directors) have agreed to present to us for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or entity, any suitable opportunity to acquire a target business, until the earlier of: (i) our consummation of our initial business combination and (ii) 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the date of this prospectus. This agreement is, however, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations such officer or director may from time to time have to another entity. Accordingly, if any of them becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor their fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such initial business combination opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. We do not believe, however, that the pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers and directors will materially undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination because in most cases the affiliated companies are closely held entities controlled by the officer or director or the nature of the affiliated company’s business is such that it is unlikely that a conflict will arise.

 

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The following table summarizes the other relevant pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors:

 

Name of Individual   Name of Affiliated Company   Industry of Affiliated
Company
  Affiliation
Stephen Christoffersen   KushCo Holdings   Consumer Products   CFO
    XS Financial   Financial   Board Member
    Range Ventures LLC   Financial   Founder & Managing Member
             
William Lischak   RightsTrade, LLC   Film and Television Rights Licensing   CEO
           
Ade Okunubi   Industrial Battery   Industrial Battery Distribution and Servicing   President
    OKA Holdings   Investment Fund   Managing Partner
             
Ali Jahangiri   Matisse Falcon, Inc.   Financial   CEO
    Hotels, LLC   Hotel Industry   CEO
    JV Group, Inc.   Real Estate Company   Founder & President
    EB5 Bride, Inc.   EB5 Visa Industry   Founder & President
    Loyola Law School – Board of Overseers   University   Board Member
    CA Film Commission   Film   Commissioner
    Outclick Media (d/b/a Eb5Investors.com; Opportunity Zone Expo, Uglobal)   Events & Publications - Immigration   Founder & CEO
             
Robin L. Smith   Caladrius Biosciences, Inc.   Biotechnology   Executive Chairman
    Wellfleet Partners, Inc.   Financial   Partner
    Sorrento Therapeutics   Biotechnology   Board Member
    ServiceSource International, Inc.   Services   Board Member
    Celularity Therapeutics   Biotechnology   Board Member
    Vicinity and Spiritus Therapeutics   Life Sciences   Board Member
   

Cura Foundation

 

  Medical   Founder, President, Chairman of the Board
    NYU Langone Medical Center   Medical   Board of Overseers
    Sanford Health   Medical   Board of Trustees
    Alliance for Cell Therapy       Board Member
             
Adam K. Stern   Stern Aegis Ventures   Financial   CEO
    Aegis Capital Corp.   Financial   Head of Private Equity Banking
    DarioHealth Corp.   Medical   Director
    Organovo Holdings, Inc.   Medical   Director
    Aerami Therapeutics, Inc.   Medical   Director

 

104

 

In connection with the vote required for any initial business combination, all of our existing stockholders, including all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective insider shares in favor of any proposed initial business combination. In addition, they have agreed to waive their respective rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to those shares of common stock acquired by them prior to this offering. If they purchase shares of common stock in this offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in respect of such shares but have agreed not to convert such shares (or sell their shares in any tender offer) in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination or an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to pre-initial business combination activity.

 

All ongoing and future transactions between us, on the one hand, and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates on the other hand, will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our audit committee and a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors, or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our audit committee and a majority of our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.

 

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate our initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor, unless we have obtained (i) an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view; and (ii) the approval of a majority of our disinterested and independent directors (if we have any at that time). Furthermore, other than the initial business combination fee payable to A.G.P. as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest”, in no event will any of our initial stockholders, officers, directors, special advisors or their respective affiliates be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other similar compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our shares of common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus (assuming none of the individuals listed purchase units in this offering), by:

 

  · each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock;

 

  · each of our officers and directors; and

 

  · all of our officers and directors as a group.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of any shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, as the warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.

 

The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our common stock beneficially owned as of the filing date, before and after this offering, by each person, or group of persons, known to us who beneficially owns more than 5% of our capital stock, each named executive officer, each of our directors and all directors and executive officers as a group. The “After-Offering” numbers and percentages presented assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that 375,000 founder shares are forfeited, and that there are 12,861,000 of our common stock issued and outstanding after this offering, consisting of (i) 10,000,000 shares of our common stock, (ii) 2,500,000 founder shares which includes 652,174 representative shares, issued and outstanding after this offering and (iii) 361,000 common shares underlying the private placement units.

 

105

 

   Prior to Offering  After Offering 
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)  Amount
and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership(2)
   Approximate
Percentage
of
Outstanding
Shares of
Common
Stock
   Amount
and
Nature of
Beneficial
Ownership(3)
   Approximate
Percentage of
Outstanding
Shares of
Common Stock
 
Western Acquisition Ventures Sponsor LLC (our sponsor)   2,125,000    85%   1,847,826    14%
A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners(4)   750,000    15%   652,174    5%
Stephen Christoffersen (Director Nominee)   -    -    -    - 
William Lischak (Director)(5)   2,125,000    85%   1,847,826    15%
Ade Okunubi (Director Nominee)   -    -    -    - 
Ali Jahangiri (Director Nominee)   -    -    -    - 
Robin L. Smith (Director Nominee)   -    -    -    - 
Adam K. Stern (Director Nominee)   -    -    -    - 
All directors, Director Nominees and executive officers as a group (six individuals)   2,125,000    85%   1,847,826    14%

 

  (1) Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is c/o 42 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, New York 10004.

 

  (2) Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as common stock, of which up to 277,174 shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor, and 97,826 shares are subject to forfeiture by A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Such shares are described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities”.
     
  (3) Interests shown consist of founders shares, classified as common stock, described in the previous footnote.
     
  (4)

Interests shown consist solely of representative shares, classified as common stock, of which up to 97,826 shares are subject to forfeiture by A.G.P. depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Such shares are described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities”. The business address of A.G.P. is 590 Madison Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10022. Interests shown consist of 750,000 shares of common stock beneficially owned by A.G.P. Individuals who have shared voting and investor control over these shares are Raffaele Gambardella, A.G.P.’s Chief Operation Officer and Chief Risk Offcier, Craig E. Klein, A.G.P.’s Chief Financial Officer/Principal Financial Officer, Phillip W. Michals, A.G.P.’s Chief Executive Officer, John J. Venezia, A.G.P.’s Chief Compliance Officer, and David A. Bocchi, Trustee of the David Bocchi Family Trust, which is an indirect owner of A.G.P., each of whom disclaims any beneficial ownership of such shares except to the extent of their pecuniary interest.

     
  (5) With respect to before the offering, our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. William Lischak is the managing member of our sponsor. As such, William Lischak has voting and investment discretion with respect to the founder shares held of record by our sponsor and may be deemed to have shared beneficial ownership of the founder shares held directly by our sponsor. William Lischak disclaims beneficial ownership of any shares other than to the extent he may have a pecuniary interest therein, directly or indirectly.

 

106

 

Immediately after this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming none of them purchase any units offered by this prospectus) and excluding the holders. None of our initial stockholders, officers, and directors has indicated to us that he intends to purchase securities in this offering. Because of the ownership block held by our initial stockholders, they may be able to effectively exercise control over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.

 

If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, our initial stockholders will have up to 375,000 founder shares subject to forfeiture. Shares will be forfeited only in the amount necessary to maintain our initial stockholders’ collective 20% ownership interest in our shares of common stock, after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

All of the insider shares issued and outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as escrow agent, until the earlier of (A) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination; or (B) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other properties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all of the founder shares will be released from the escrow account if (1) the last reported sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination; or (2) if we complete a transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and stockholders) participating in the private placement of the private placement units, officers, directors, stockholders, employees and members of our initial stockholders and their affiliates; (2) amongst initial stockholders or their respective affiliates, or to our officers, directors, advisors, and employees; (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation; (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes; (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death; (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities; (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased; or (9) for the cancellation of up to shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 9 or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and the letter agreement. During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (i) for transfers to our officers, directors or their respective affiliates (including for transfers to an entity’s members upon its liquidation); (ii) to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes; (iii) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death; (iv) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (v) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities; (vi) by private sales made at or prior to the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased; or (vii) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause (vii)) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect an initial business combination and liquidate the trust account, none of our initial stockholders will receive any portion of the liquidation proceeds with respect to their insider shares.

 

Our sponsor has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). These purchases will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. A portion of the proceeds of the private placement will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as trustee, in an amount such that, at the time of the closing of this offering, $101,000,000 (or $116,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The remainder of such proceeds shall be held by us outside of the trust account for working capital purposes.

 

Our sponsor, officers, and directors are deemed to be our “promoter” (as such term is defined under the federal securities laws). In addition, Nick Kovacevich may be deemed to be a “promoter” (as such term is defined under the federal securities laws) of ours due to his involvement in our early founding and organization. Mr. Kovacevich is an investor in our sponsor, but did not receive, nor is he entitled to receive, any compensation for such activities.

 

107

 

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

On June 9, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 of our common shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, which included 1,207,500 representative shares previously transferred from our sponsor to an affiliate of A.G.P. on June 16, 2021 for $7,000 (up to 157,500 shares of which were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part). On November 22, 2021, we effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of our common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to our sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that our sponsor owns 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares (of which 277,174 founder shares and 97,826 founder shares, respectively, that are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering). The representative has agreed (A) to vote the representative shares in favor of any proposed initial business combination; (B) not to convert representative shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell the representative shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination; and (C) that the representative shares will not participate in any liquidating distributions from our trust account upon winding up if an initial business combination is not consummated. A.G.P. is acting as representative of the underwriters in this offering and will be paid an underwriting fee of $500,000. We have engaged A.G.P. as an advisor in connection with our initial business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our stockholders to discuss the potential initial business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in connection with our initial business combination, assist us in obtaining stockholder approval for the initial business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the initial business combination. We will pay A.G.P. a fee for such marketing services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to 4.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees that might become payable). Our sponsor has agreed to purchase 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The private placement units are identical to the public units, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. There will be no underwriting fees or commissions with respect to the private placement units.

 

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement units in the private placement will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a trust account in the United States maintained by American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as trustee, in an amount such that, at the time of the closing of this offering, $101,000,000 (or $116,150,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be held in the trust account for working capital purposes. The remainder of such proceeds shall be maintained by us outside of the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended), our initial stockholders will waive any and all rights and claims to any proceeds and interest thereon in respect to the private placement units and the proceeds from the sale of the private placement units that are held in the trust account will be included in the liquidating distribution to the holders of our public shares.

 

The private placement units are identical to the units sold to the public in this offering.

 

Prior to the commencement of this offering, our sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of September 30, 2021, there was $55,000 outstanding under such promissory notes. Our sponsor has agreed to apply all of the repayment proceeds from the repayment of the notes to them to the pro rata portion of the private placement units our sponsor has committed to purchase.

 

The holders of our insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private placement units (and all underlying securities) and the representative shares and will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private placement units can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

108

 

We will reimburse our officers and directors for any reasonable out-of-pocket business expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf such as identifying and investigating possible target businesses and initial business combinations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account and the interest income earned on the amounts held in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate our initial business combination (other than up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses). Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to any initial stockholder or member of our management team, or our or their respective affiliates, and any reimbursements and payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

 

Other than fees payable to A.G.P. as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest”, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s fees, consulting fees or other similar compensation, will be paid to any of our initial stockholders, officers or directors who owned our shares of common stock prior to this offering, or to any of their respective affiliates, prior to or with respect to the initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction).

 

All ongoing and future transactions between us on the one hand, and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates on the other hand, will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions, including the payment of any compensation, will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors (to the extent we have any) or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors (or, if there are no “independent” directors, our disinterested directors) determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.

 

Related Party Policy

 

Our code of ethics, which we will adopt upon consummation of this offering, will require us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by our board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year; (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant; and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director; (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our common stock; or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform their work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of their family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of their position.

 

Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. All ongoing and future transactions between us on the one hand, and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates on the other hand, will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by our audit committee and a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors, or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our audit committee and a majority of our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties. Additionally, we require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors and officers questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

 

These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.

 

109

 

To further minimize potential conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our initial stockholders unless we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that the initial business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view. Furthermore, in no event will any of our existing officers, directors or initial stockholders, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination.

 

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

General

 

As of the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001. As of the date of this prospectus, 2,875,000 shares of common stock are issued and outstanding, held by our initial stockholders (of which 375,000 shares held by our initial stockholders are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option). No preferred shares are issued or outstanding. The following description summarizes all of the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you. For a complete description, you should refer to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

Units

 

Each unit consists of one share of common stock and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Each warrant will become exercisable on the later of one year after the closing of this offering or 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.

 

The shares of common stock and warrants comprising the units will not be separately traded until 90 days after the effective date of this prospectus unless A.G.P. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, but in no event will the shares of common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the consummation of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days after the date of this prospectus. The audited balance sheet will include proceeds we received from the exercise of the over-allotment option if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Current Report on Form 8-K. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

Common Stock

 

Our holders of record of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. In connection with any vote held to approve our initial business combination, our insiders, officers and directors, have agreed to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them immediately prior to this offering, including both the insider shares and any shares acquired in this offering or following this offering in the open market, in favor of the proposed initial business combination.

 

We will consummate our initial business combination only if (i) public stockholders do not exercise conversion rights in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and (ii) a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination.

 

110

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we do not consummate our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than five business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (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 the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our insiders have agreed to waive their rights to share in any distribution with respect to their insider shares.

 

Our stockholders have no conversion, preemptive, or other subscription rights and there are no sinking fund or redemption provisions applicable to the shares of common stock, except that, in connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders may seek to convert their public shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed initial business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable); or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein.

 

If we hold a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to stockholder’s rights or pre-initial business combination activity (including the substance or timing within which we have to complete an initial business combination), we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, in connection with any such vote. In either of such events, converting stockholders would be paid their pro rata portion of the trust account promptly following consummation of the initial business combination or the approval of the amendment to the certificate of incorporation. If the initial business combination is not consummated or the amendment is not approved, stockholders will not be paid such amounts.

 

Preferred Stock

 

There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to an initial business combination, from issuing preferred stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the common stock on our initial business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect our initial business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we reserve the right to do so in the future.

 

Warrants

 

Public Warrants

 

No warrants are currently outstanding. Each warrant will entitle the registered holder to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, upon the later of: (i) one year after the date that the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part is declared effective by the SEC; and (ii) the consummation by us of an initial business combination and terminating on the five-year anniversary of the completion of the initial business combination.

 

111

 

Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrantholder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares. This means that only an even number of public warrants may be exercised at any given time by a warrantholder. However, no public warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 60 business days from the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to an available exemption from registration under the Securities Act. The warrants will expire five years from the closing of our initial business combination at 5:00 p.m., New York City time.

 

We may call the outstanding warrants for redemption (including any warrants already issued upon exercise of the unit purchase option), in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant:

 

  · at any time while the warrants are exercisable,

 

  · upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder,

 

  · provided that the reported last sale price of the shares of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share, for any 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders, and

 

  · Provided that there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying such warrants at the time of redemption and for the entire 30-day trading period referred to above and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption.

 

The right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption. On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for such holder’s warrant upon surrender of such warrant.

 

The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price that is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then-prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.

 

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of our common stock for the 20 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Whether we will exercise our option to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis” will depend on a variety of factors including the price of our common shares at the time the warrants are called for redemption, our cash needs at such time and concerns regarding dilutive share issuances.

 

The warrants will be issued in registered form under our Warrant Agreement with American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as warrant agent. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval, by written consent or vote, of the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

 

The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices.

 

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If (x) we issue additional shares of 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 of less than $9.20 per share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founders’ shares held by them prior to such issuance); (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions); and (z) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then (A) the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and (B) the $9.20 per share redemption trigger price described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price. The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of shares of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

 

Except as described above, no public warrants will be exercisable for cash and we will not be obligated to issue shares of common stock unless at the time a holder seeks to exercise such warrant, a prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is current and the shares of common stock have been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so and, if we do not maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will be unable to exercise their warrants and we will not be required to settle any such warrant exercise. If the prospectus relating to the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the warrants is not current or if the common stock is not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, we will not be required to net cash settle or cash settle the warrant exercise, the warrants may have no value, the market for the warrants may be limited and the warrants may expire worthless.

 

Warrant holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in excess of 9.9% of the shares of common stock outstanding.

 

Private placement warrants

 

The private placement warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as further described below in this section, to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our initial stockholders) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees. Except as described herein, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability, transferability, and redemption.

 

Pursuant to the letter agreements, the private placement warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of any of the private placement warrants) are not transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, our initial stockholders, or any of their respective affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or the applicable limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of sponsor provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (g), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions, and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements, with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).

 

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Dividends

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our shares of common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of an initial business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.

 

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

 

The transfer agent for our shares of common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219.

 

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least a majority of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:

 

  ·

If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering, 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 subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our 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;

 

  · 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 on any initial business combination;

 

  · Although we do not intend to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors, our officers, or our representative, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions that such our initial business combination is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view;

 

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  · If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination that contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; whether or not we maintain our registration under the our Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above;

 

  · So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more initial 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 fee payable to A.G.P. upon an initial business combination as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” 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 stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares;

 

  · We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and

 

In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to, or upon consummation of, our initial business combination, and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions.

 

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “initial business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the initial business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced (excluding certain shares); or

 

on or subsequent to such time, the initial business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholders.

 

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Generally, a “initial business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock.

 

Under some circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who is an interested stockholder to effect various initial business combinations with us for a three-year period.

 

Our certificate of incorporation will provide that our initial stockholders and their various affiliates, successors, and transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to this provision.

 

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

 

Special meeting of stockholders

 

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called by resolution of our board of directors, the Chief Executive Officer, or the Chairperson of our board of directors.

 

Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations

 

Our bylaws will provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day prior to the scheduled date of the annual meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders

 

Authorized but unissued shares

 

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

 

Exclusive forum for certain lawsuits

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent 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 of our company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our bylaws, or (4) action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer of our company governed by the internal affairs doctrine except for, as to each of (1) through (4) above, any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) that 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 inclusion of such provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not be deemed to be a waiver by our stockholders of our obligation to comply with federal securities laws, rules and regulations, and the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. Furthermore, the enforceability of choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable.

 

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SECURITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

 

Upon the closing of this offering, 12,861,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 375,000 founder shares by our initial stockholders), including 10,000,000 shares of our common stock underlying the public units offered in this offering, 2,500,000 shares held by our initial stockholders, and 361,000 shares underlying the private placement units. Of these shares, the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering, or 11,500,000 public shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. None of those shares will be transferable except in limited circumstances described elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

Rule 144

 

A person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of common stock for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

 

  · 1% of the number of shares of common stock then issued and outstanding, which will equal 128,610 shares immediately after this offering (or 147,510 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and

 

  · The average weekly trading volume of the shares of common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

 

Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

 

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

 

Historically, the SEC staff had taken the position that Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, blank check companies, like us. The SEC has codified and expanded this position in the amendments discussed above by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by any shell companies (other than initial business combination related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, if the following conditions are met:

 

  · the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

 

  · the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

 

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  · the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and

 

  · at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

 

As a result, it is likely that pursuant to Rule 144, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their insider shares freely without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination assuming they are not an affiliate of ours at that time.

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of our insider shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private placement units (and underlying securities) and the representative shares will be entitled to customary registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the insider shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released from escrow. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because the components of a unit are separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to holders of common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying common stock and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in this offering.

 

This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and the different consequences that may apply if you are subject to special rules that apply to certain types of investors, including but not limited to:

 

  · our sponsor, founders, officers, or directors;

 

  · financial institutions or financial services entities;

 

  · broker-dealers;

 

  · governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;

 

  · regulated investment companies;

 

  · real estate investment trusts;

 

  · expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;

 

  · persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our stock by vote or value;

 

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  · insurance companies;

 

  · dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of accounting with respect to the securities;

 

  · persons holding our securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction;

 

  · U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
     
  · partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; and

 

  · persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation or in connection with services;
     
  · tax-exempt entities.

 

If a partnership (or other entity classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in the partnership generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding our securities and partners in such partnerships are urged to consult their own tax advisors.

 

This discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, and changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).

 

We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion. You are urged to consult your tax advisor with respect to the application of U.S. federal tax laws to your particular situation, as well as any tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign jurisdiction.

 

THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. WE URGE PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF ACQUIRING, OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.

 

Personal Holding Company Status

 

We would be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).

 

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Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not be a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

 

Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit

 

No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of the unit or instruments similar to the unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our common stock and of one warrant, with each warrant exercisable to purchase one share of our common stock. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make its own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult its tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of common stock and the warrant to purchase one share of common stock should be the holder’s initial tax basis in such share or of one warrant to purchase one share of common, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock that comprises the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of common stock based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder based on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of shares of common stock and warrants comprising units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

The foregoing treatment of the units and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

U.S. Holders

 

This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, shares of common stock or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

  · an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

 

  · a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

  · an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or

 

  · a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.

 

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Taxation of Distributions

 

If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. holders of shares of our common stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below.

 

Dividends we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder may constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the preferential tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and non-corporate holders may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.

 

Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants. 

 

Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock or warrants that, in general, would include a redemption of common stock or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate our initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the common stock or warrants so disposed of. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the common stock is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares or warrants would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders are currently eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

 

Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder is equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the common stock or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the common stock or the warrants based upon the then relative fair market values of the common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock or warrants so disposed of. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its common stock or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of common stock or one warrant to purchase one share of common stock or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.

 

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Redemption of Common Stock

 

In the event that a U.S. holder’s common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s common stock in an open market transaction (each of which we refer to as a “redemption”), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale or exchange of the common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale or exchange of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale or exchange of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions”. Whether a redemption qualifies for sale or exchange treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as owned by the U.S. holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder described in the following paragraph) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of common stock generally will be treated as a sale of the common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

 

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any stock the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include common stock that could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of common stock must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares of our stock (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants). The redemption of the common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to a U.S. holder if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.

 

If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed common stock will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder should consult its tax advisors as to the allocation of any remaining basis.

 

Exercise, Lapse, or Redemption of a Warrant

 

Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss on the acquisition of common stock upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the share of our common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrant. It is unclear whether the U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.

 

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The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the common stock received generally should equal the holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event (and not a recapitalization), it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the common stock would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the common stock would include the holding period of the warrants exercised therefor.

 

It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a U.S. holder could be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants (or the surrendered warrants) having an aggregate fair market value equal to the exercise price for the total number of warrants to be exercised (or the exercised warrants). The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the surrendered warrants and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in such warrants. Such gain or loss would be long-term or short-term, depending on the U.S. holder's holding period in the surrendered warrants. In this case, a U.S. holder's tax basis in the shares of common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder's tax basis in the exercised warrants (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder's purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrants, as described above under “— Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such exercised warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder's holding period for the common stock would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants.

 

Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the common stock received, there can be no assurance that any of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.

 

If we redeem warrants for cash or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “— Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.” The tax consequences of an exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrants as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities - Warrants - Public Warrants” are unclear under current law. In the case of a cashless exercise, the exercise may be treated either as if we redeemed such warrant for common stock or as an exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise of a warrant for common stock is treated as a redemption, then such redemption generally should be treated as a tax-deferred recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which case a U.S. holder should not recognize any gain or loss on such redemption, and accordingly, a U.S. holder's basis in the common stock received should equal the U.S. holder's basis in the warrant and the holding period of the shares of common stock would include the holding period of the warrant. If the cashless exercise of a warrant is treated as such, the tax consequences generally should be as described under the heading “U.S. Holders - Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” In the case of an exercise of a warrant for cash, the tax treatment generally should be as described above in the first paragraph under the heading “U.S. Holders - Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” Due to the lack of clarity under current law regarding the treatment of an exercise of a warrant after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant, there can be no assurance as to which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant as described above.

 

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Possible Constructive Distributions

 

The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants – Public Warrants.” An adjustment that has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our common stock, in each case that is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as a distribution (as described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above). Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

 

In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number, a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. All U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

 

Non-U.S. Holders

 

This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, common stock or warrants who or that is an individual, corporation, estate or trust and is not a U.S. holder. A “Non-U.S. holder” generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and sale or other disposition of our securities.

 

Taxation of Distributions

 

In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a Non-U.S. holder of shares of our common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and are not attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment under an applicable treaty), we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such Non-U.S. holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “U.S. real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, including a distribution in redemption of shares of our common stock. See also “Non-U.S. Holders — Possible Constructive Distributions” for potential U.S. federal tax consequences with respect to constructive distributions.

 

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Dividends we pay to a Non-U.S. holder that are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. holder's conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or, if an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder) will generally not be subject to withholding tax, provided such Non-U.S. holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. resident, subject to an applicable income tax treaty providing otherwise. A Non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to an additional "branch profits tax" imposed at a rate of 30% (or a lower treaty rate).

 

Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants

 

Subject to the discussion of FATCA and backup withholding below, a Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required period of time, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:

 

  · the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder); or
     
  · we are or have been a “U.S. real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. holder held our common stock, and, in the case where shares of our common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. holder has owned, directly or constructively (including through ownership of warrants), more than 5% of our common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. holder’s holding period for the shares of our common stock. There can be no assurance that our common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.

 

Unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. holder were a U.S. resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower treaty rate).

 

If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, if our common stock will not be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market, a buyer of our common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a U.S. real property holding corporation in the future until we complete our initial business combination. We will be classified as a U.S. real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “U.S. real property interests” equals or exceeds 50 percent of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

Redemption of Common Stock

 

The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Common Stock” generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.

 

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Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant

 

The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise or lapse of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described above in “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.” The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. holder of a redemption of warrants for common stock will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment for a U.S. holder of a redemption of warrants for common stock, as described above in “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” The U.S. federal income tax treatment for a Non-U.S. holder of a redemption of warrants for cash (or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction) would be similar to that described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Common Stock and Warrants.”

 

Possible Constructive Distributions

 

The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants – Public Warrants.” An adjustment that has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. Nevertheless, the Non-U.S. holders of the warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our common stock, in each case that is taxable to the holders of such shares as a distribution (as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above). Such constructive distribution would be subject to U.S. federal income tax (including any applicable withholding) in the same manner as if the Non-U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest resulting from the adjustment without any corresponding receipt of cash.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

 

Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our units, shares of common stock and warrants. A Non-U.S. holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty generally will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided, that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. All Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

 

FATCA Withholding Taxes

 

Provisions commonly referred to as “FATCA” impose withholding of 30% on payments of dividends (including constructive dividends) on our common stock or warrants to “foreign financial institutions” (which is broadly defined for this purpose and in general includes investment vehicles) and certain other non-U.S. entities unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied by, or an exemption applies to, the payee (typically certified as to by the delivery of a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN-E). The IRS has issued proposed regulations (on which taxpayers may rely until final regulations are issued) that would generally not apply these withholding requirements to gross proceeds from sales or other disposition proceeds from our securities. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Under certain circumstances, a Non-U.S. holder might be eligible for refunds or credits of such withholding taxes, and a Non-U.S. holder might be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return to claim such refunds or credits. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the effects of FATCA on their investment in our securities.

 

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THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX DISCUSSION SET FORTH ABOVE IS INCLUDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE DEPENDING UPON A HOLDER’S PARTICULAR SITUATION. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND WARRANTS, INCLUDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES UNDER STATE, LOCAL, ESTATE, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES AND THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN U.S. OR OTHER TAX LAWS.

 

UNDERWRITING – CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 

The representative is acting as the sole book-running manager of the offering and as representative of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, the underwriters named below, through the representative, have severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, the following respective number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.

 

Underwriters  Number of Units 
A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners   10,000,000 
Brookline Capital Markets, a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC     
Total   10,000,000 

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.

 

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $0.05 per unit. If not all of the units are sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. The underwriters have advised us that they do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.

 

If the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 1,150,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.

 

We, our initial stockholders, and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of the representative, sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to any units, shares of common stock, warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any units, shares of common stock, warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii), subject to certain exceptions. The representative in its sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to the lock-up agreement at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our initial stockholders, officers, and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and placement units pursuant to the letter agreements as described herein.

 

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Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares (or shares of common stock issuable upon conversion thereof) until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, if the reported last sale price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders”). The placement units, placement shares and placement warrants (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of the placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders”).

 

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriters. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in the equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, common stock or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, common stock or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.

 

We have applied to list our units on Nasdaq under the symbol “WAVSU” We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect that our common stock and warrants will be listed under the symbols “WAVS” and “WAVSW,” respectively, once the common stock and warrants begin separate trading.

 

The following table shows the underwriting cash discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering (but does not reflect the transfer of 750,000 common shares (up to 97,826 shares of which are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part) for $6,522 to an affiliate of AGP as additional underwriting compensation). These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. The cash component of the upfront portion of the underwriting discounts and commissions will be $0.05 per unit.

 

   Payable by Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. 
   No Exercise   Full Exercise 
Per Unit(1)  $0.05   $0.05 
Total(1)  $500,000   $500,000 

 

(1) Includes $0.05 per unit, or $500,000, to be paid in cash at the closing of the offering. We have engaged the representatives as advisors in connection with our business combination. We will pay the representatives in cash or stock for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to 4.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering, or $4,500,000 (or $5,175,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable. If we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate, the underwriters have agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to the fees payable under the business combination marketing agreement, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation; and (ii) that such fees will be distributed on a pro rata basis, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes to the public stockholders. Also includes $100,000 payable to The Benchmark Company, LLC, for acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” as defined by the FINRA rules as described herein. In addition, our sponsor has previously transferred to an affiliate of A.G.P. 750,000 founder shares for $6,522, of which 97,826 will be forfeited if the over-allotment option is not exercised.

 

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In addition to the underwriting discount, we have agreed to pay or reimburse the underwriters for reimbursement of the expenses of background checks on our directors and executive officers, the reasonable fees of counsel of the Underwriters and other expenses incurred by the Representative in an amount not to exceed $150,000.

 

Representative Shares

 

As an additional underwriting fee, our sponsor has previously transferred to an affiliate of A.G.P. 750,000 common shares (up to 97,826 shares of which are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part) for $6,522. The representative has agreed not to transfer, assign, or sell any of the representative shares without our prior consent until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, the representative has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to the representative shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to the representative shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of this offering.

 

The representative shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the public offering, except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners, provided that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lockup restriction above for the remainder of the time period.

 

We have granted the holders of the representative shares the registration rights as described under the section “Shares Eligible for Future Sale — Registration Rights.” Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, under FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), the underwriters and/or their designees may only make a demand registration on one occasion during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and the underwriters and/or their designees may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

 

Initial Business Combination Agreement

 

We have agreed to engage A.G.P. as an advisor in connection with our initial business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our stockholders to discuss the potential initial business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in connection with our initial business combination, assist us in obtaining stockholder approval for the initial business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the initial business combination. We will pay A.G.P. a fee for such marketing services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to 4.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Pursuant to the terms of the initial business combination marketing agreement, no fee will be due if we do not complete our initial business combination.

 

Stabilization

 

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option and stabilizing purchases, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

 

  · Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than it is required to purchase in the offering.

 

  · “Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

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  · “Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

  · Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions.

 

  · To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.
     

  · To close a covered short position, the underwriters must (i) purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or (ii) exercise the over-allotment option. In determining the source of units to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.

 

  · Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

 

Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own account, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, it may discontinue them at any time.

 

We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $685,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, but including reimbursement to the underwriters for expenses and fees of up to $150,000.

 

We have agreed to indemnify A.G.P. against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.  In addition, we have agreed to The Benchmark Company, LLC, which is acting as a “qualified independent underwriter” for this offering, against certain liabilities incurred in connection with acting as qualified independent underwriter, including liabilities under the Securities Act. See “Conflicts of Interest”, below.

 

We have agreed to engage A.G.P. as an advisor in connection with our initial business combination to introduce us to, potential targets businesses, assist us in holding meetings with our stockholders to discuss the potential initial business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in connection with our initial business combination, assist us in obtaining stockholder approval for the initial business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the initial business combination. We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriters to provide any other services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. If the underwriters provide any such additional services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriters fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriters prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which it is affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.

 

The underwriters and their affiliates may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, for which it may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for any such transactions.

 

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The underwriters and their respective affiliates are financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include, among other things, securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, financing and brokerage activities. Such underwriters and their affiliates have in the past, in the ordinary course of business, provided certain of these services to affiliates of our sponsor, and have arrangements in place whereby they may currently or in the future provide such services to affiliates of our sponsor, for which they have received and may receive customary fees, interest, commissions and other compensation.

 

In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve our or our affiliates’ securities and/or instruments. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

 

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available by e-mail, on our website, and/or through online services maintained by one or more of the underwriters or their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of common shares for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriters’ web sites and any information contained in any other web site maintained by any of the underwriters is not part of this prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriters and should not be relied upon by investors.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

A.G.P. has a “conflict of interest” within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121(f)(5)(B) in this offering because one of its affiliates beneficially owns more than 10% of our shares. Accordingly, this offering is being made in compliance with the applicable requirements of FINRA Rule 5121. FINRA Rule 5121 requires that a “qualified independent underwriter,” as defined in FINRA Rule 5121, participate in the preparation of this prospectus and the registration statement of which it forms a part and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” with respect thereto. The Benchmark Company, LLC has agreed to act as a “qualified independent underwriter” for this offering. The Benchmark Company, LLC will receive $100,000 (such amount to be deducted from the underwriters’ commissions) for acting as a qualified independent underwriter. We have agreed to indemnify The Benchmark Company, LLC against certain liabilities incurred in connection with acting as qualified independent underwriter, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In addition, no underwriter with a conflict of interest will confirm sales to any account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the specific prior written approval of the account holder.

 

Selling Restrictions

 

This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell to, or a solicitation of an offer to buy from, anyone in any country or jurisdiction (i) in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized, (ii) in which any person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or (iii) in which any such offer or solicitation would otherwise be unlawful. No action has been taken that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the units or possession or distribution of this prospectus or any other offering or publicity material relating to the units in any country or jurisdiction (other than the United States) where any such action for that purpose is required. Accordingly, each underwriter has undertaken that it will not, directly or indirectly, offer or sell any units or have in its possession, distribute or publish any prospectus, form of application, advertisement or other document or information in any country or jurisdiction except under circumstances that will, to the best of its knowledge and belief, result in compliance with any applicable laws and regulations and all offers and sales of units by it will be made on the same terms.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom

 

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, each, a relevant state, no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to any retail investor (having the meaning has given to it in Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014, as amended) in that relevant state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant state or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant state and notified to the competent authority in that relevant state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of our units may be made to the public in that relevant state at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:

 

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  · to any legal entity that is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;

 

  · to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation),

 

  · subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representative for any such offer; or

 

  · in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation;

 

provided, that, no such offer of units shall require the issuer or the representative to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

 

Each person in a relevant state who initially acquires any units, or to whom any offer is made, will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged, and agreed to and with us and the representative that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation.

 

In the case of any units being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 5(1) of the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the units acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances that may give rise to an offer to the public other than their offer or resale in a relevant state to qualified investors, in circumstances in which the prior consent of the representative has been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.

 

We, the representative, and each of our and the representative’s respective affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgements and agreements.

 

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in any relevant state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

 

References to the Prospectus Regulation include, in relation to the United Kingdom, the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

 

The above selling restriction is in addition to any other selling restrictions set out below.

 

In connection with the offering, the representative is not acting for anyone other than the issuer and will not be responsible to anyone other than the issuer for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for providing advice in relation to the offering.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

 

This prospectus is for distribution only to persons who (i) have professional experience in matters relating to investments and who qualify as investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the “Financial Promotion Order”), (ii) are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d), or high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc., of the Financial Promotion Order, (iii) are outside the United Kingdom, or (iv) are persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended, or the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document is directed only at relevant persons and must not be acted on or relied on by persons who are not relevant persons. Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in France

 

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or of the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:

 

  · released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or

 

  · used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France.

 

Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:

 

  · To qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs),

 

  · in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, articles L.411-2, D.411-1,

 

  · D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;

 

  · to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or

 

  · in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1° -or-2° -or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier

 

  · and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not

 

  · constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne).

 

The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

 

The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 71) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance; or (b) in other circumstances that do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Chapter 32) of Hong Kong or that do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the units has been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units that are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

 

The units have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

 

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, the units were not offered or sold or caused to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase and will not be offered or sold or caused to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, and this prospectus or any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units, has not been circulated or distributed, nor will it be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the Securities and Futures Act (Chapter 289) of Singapore, as modified or amended from time to time, or the SFA, pursuant to Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

 

Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person that is:

 

  (a) a corporation (that is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

 

  (b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

 

securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the units pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

 

  (a) to an institutional investor or to a relevant person, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

 

  (b) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

 

  (c) where the transfer is by operation of law; or

 

  (d) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

 

The units may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the units must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

 

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

 

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Pursuant to section 3A.3 (or, in the case of securities issued or guaranteed by the government of a non-Canadian jurisdiction, section 3A.4) of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

 

This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority or DFSA. This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The securities to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale.

 

Prospective purchasers of the securities offered should conduct their own due diligence on the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

 

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission or ASIC, in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 or the Corporations Act, and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act. Any offer in Australia of the securities may only be made to persons or the Exempt Investors who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the securities without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

 

The securities applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document that complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions. This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

 

The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange or SIX or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

 

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, us, the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA or FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes or CISA. The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in Israel

 

In the State of Israel, this prospectus shall not be regarded as an offer to the public to purchase securities under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968, which requires a prospectus to be published and authorized by the Israel Securities Authority, if it complies with certain provisions of Section 15 of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968, including, inter alia, if: (i) the offer is made, distributed or directed to not more than 35 investors, subject to certain conditions or Addressed Investors; or (ii) the offer is made, distributed or directed to certain qualified investors defined in the First Addendum of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 –1968, subject to certain conditions or Qualified Investors. The Qualified Investors shall not be taken into account in the count of the Addressed Investors and may be offered to purchase securities in addition to the 35 Addressed Investors. We have not and will not take any action that would require us to publish a prospectus in accordance with and subject to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968. We have not and will not distribute this prospectus or make, distribute or direct an offer to subscribe for our securities to any person within the State of Israel, other than to Qualified Investors and up to 35 Addressed Investors.

 

Qualified Investors may have to submit written evidence that they meet the definitions set out in of the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968. In particular, we may request, as a condition to be offered securities, that Qualified Investors will each represent, warrant and certify to us and/or to anyone acting on our behalf: (i) that it is an investor falling within one of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968; (ii) those of the categories listed in the First Addendum to the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968 regarding Qualified Investors is applicable to it; (iii) that it will abide by all provisions set forth in the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968 and the regulations promulgated thereunder in connection with the offer to be issued securities; (iv) that the securities that it will be issued are, subject to exemptions available under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968: (a) for its own account; (b) for investment purposes only; and (c) not issued with a view to resale within the State of Israel, other than in accordance with the provisions of the Israeli Securities Law, 5728 – 1968; and (v) that it is willing to provide further evidence of its Qualified Investor status. Addressed Investors may have to submit written evidence in respect of their identity and may have to sign and submit a declaration containing, inter alia, the Addressed Investor’s name, address and passport number or Israeli identification number.

 

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on our behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters and their respective affiliates, with a view to the final placement of the securities as contemplated in this document. Accordingly, no purchaser of the shares, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of shares on our behalf or on behalf of the underwriters.

 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Reed Smith LLP, New York, New York, is acting as our counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act and, as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this offering. Sullivan & Worcester LLP, New York, New York is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statements of Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. as of June 16, 2021 and for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021 included in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we refer in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.

 

Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.

 

No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.

 

136

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

    Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   F-2
Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2021 (unaudited) and June 16, 2021   F-3
Statements of Operations for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 (unaudited) and from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021   F-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 (unaudited) and from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021   F-5
Statements of Cash Flows for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 (unaudited) and from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021   F-6
Notes to the Financial Statements   F-7

 

 F-1 

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
Western Acquisition Ventures Corp.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. (the “Company”) as of June 16, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of June 16, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern

 

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of June 16, 2021, and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans with regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ Marcum llp

 

Marcum llp

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

 

Boston, MA
July 13, 2021, except for Note 8, as to which the date is December 1, 2021

  

 F-2 

 

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

BALANCE SHEETS

 

    September 30,
2021
(unaudited)
    June 16,
2021
 
ASSETS                
CURRENT ASSETS                
Cash   $ 11,437     $ 25,000  
                 
       Total current assets     11,437       25,000  
                 
OTHER ASSETS                
Deferred offering costs     297,125       122,596  
                 
      Total other assets     297,125       122,596  
                 
       TOTAL ASSETS   $ 308,562     $ 147,596  
                 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY                
                 
CURRENT LIABILITIES                
Accounts payable and accrued expenses   $ 1,600     $ 2,084  
Accrued offering costs     230,000       122,596  
Note payable - related party     55,000       -  
                 
       Total current liabilities     286,600       124,680  
                 
       TOTAL LIABILITIES   $ 286,600     $ 124,680  
                 
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES                
                 
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY                
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding   $ -     $ -  
Common stock; $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 2,875,000 issued and outstanding (1)(2)     287       287  
Additional paid-in capital     24,713       24,713  
Accumulated deficit     (3,038 )     (2,084 )
                 
       TOTAL STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY     21,962       22,916  
                 
       TOTAL LIABILITIES AND                
          STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY   $ 308,562     $ 147,596  

 

(1) This number includes an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares of Common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 4).
   
(2) Shares of Common stock have been retroactively restated to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of a 2 for 3 reverse stock split on November 22, 2021 (see Note 4).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 F-3 

 

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

    For the period April 28,
2021 (inception) through
September 30, 2021
(unaudited)
    For the period April 28,
2021 (inception)
through June 16, 2021
 
EXPENSES                
General and administrative expenses   $ 3,038     $ 2,084  
                 
Total expenses     3,038       2,084  
                 
NET LOSS     (3,038 )     (2,084 )
                 
WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING, BASIC AND DILUTED (1)(2)     2,500,000       2,500,000  
                 
BASIC AND DILUTED NET LOSS PER SHARE   $ (0.00 )   $ (0.00 )

 

(1) This number excludes an aggregate of up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture if the overallotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 4).
   
(2) Shares of Common stock have been retroactively restated to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of a 2 for 3 reverse stock split on November 22, 2021 (see Note 4).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 F-4 

 

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

For the period April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 (unaudited)

and from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021

 

    Common stock                 Total  
                Additional     Accumulated     stockholders’  
    Shares     Amount     paid-in capital     deficit     equity  
Balance, April 28, 2021 (inception)     -     $ -     $ -     $ -     $ -  
                                         
Issuance of common stock to Sponsor (1)(2)     2,875,000     $ 287     $ 24,713       -     $ 25,000  
                                         
Net loss     -       -       -       (2,084 )     (2,084 )
                                         
Balance, June 16, 2021     2,875,000     $ 287     $ 24,713     $ (2,084 )   $ 22,916  
                                         
Net loss     -       -       -       (954 )     (954 )
                                         
Balance, September 30, 2021 (unaudited)     2,875,000     $ 287     $ 24,713     $ (3,038 )   $ 21,962  

 

(1) This number includes an aggregate of up to 375,000 common stock subject to forfeiture if the overallotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 4).
   
(2) Shares of Common stock have been retroactively restated to reflect the recapitalization of the Company in the form of a 2 for 3 reverse stock split on November 22, 2021 (see Note 4).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 F-5 

 

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

    For the period April 28, 2021
(inception) through September 30,
2021 (unaudited)
    For the period April 28, 2021
(inception) through June 16, 2021
 
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES                
Net loss   $ (3,038 )   $ (2,084 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:                
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:                
Accounts payable     1,600       2,084  
                 
Net cash flows used in operating activities     (1,438 )     -  
                 
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES                
Payment of Deferred Offering Costs     (67,125 )     -  
                 
Net cash flows used in investing activities     (67,125 )     -  
                 
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES                
Proceeds from issuance of common stock to Sponsor     25,000       25,000  
Proceeds from notes payable - related party     55,000       -  
                 
Net cash flows provided by financing activities     80,000       25,000  
                 
NET CHANGE IN CASH     11,437       25,000  
                 
CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD     -       -  
                 
CASH, END OF PERIOD   $ 11,437     $ 25,000  
                 
Supplemental disclosure of noncash activities:                
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs   $ 230,000     $ 122,596  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

 F-6 

 

 

WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Note 1 — Description of Organization, Business Operations, Going Concern and Basis of Presentation

 

Western Acquisition Ventures Corp. (the "Company") is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on April 28, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar initial business combination with one or more businesses (the "Initial Business Combination"). The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.

 

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial business combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

 

The Company’s sponsor is Western Acquisition Ventures Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability corporation (the "Sponsor"). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed public offering (the "Proposed Public Offering") of 10,000,000 units of the Company (each, a "Unit" and collectively, the "Public Units") at $10.00 per Unit (or 11,500,000 Units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full as describted in Note 3). Each Unit consists of one share of common stock (the “Public Shares”) and one warrant (the “Public Warrants”).

 

Additionally, the Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) in a private placement (the “Private Placement Units”) that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each Private Placement Unit will be identical to the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. We refer to these units as the placement units throughout this prospectus.

 

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering though substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating an initial business combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete an Initial Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the amount of the Initial Business Combination marketing fee payable to Alliance Global Partners (“A.G.P.”) as described in “Underwriting - Conflicts of Interest” held in Trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into our initial business combination. However, the Company only intends to complete an Initial Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act"). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.10 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering will be held in a trust account ("Trust Account") located in the United States with American Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and invested only 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 that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of an initial business combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.

 

 F-7 

 

 

The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Initial Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Initial Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.10 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights with respect to the Company’s warrants.

 

All of the Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”). In accordance with the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the Public Shares will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., Public Warrants), the initial carrying value of common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. The Public Shares are subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes immediately. While redemptions cannot cause the Company’s net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, the Public Shares are redeemable and will be classified as such on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place.

 

Redemptions of the Company’s Public Shares may be subject to the satisfaction of conditions, including minimum cash conditions, pursuant to an agreement relating to the Company’s Initial Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the Initial Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Initial Business Combination if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Certificate of Incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Initial Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Initial Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Initial Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

The 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company. The holders of the Founder Shares (the "initial stockholders") have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company does not complete an initial business combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides its Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

 

If the Company is unable to complete an Initial Business Combination within 12 months (or up to 18 months, if extended) from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (the "Combination Period") and the Company’s stockholders have not amended the Certificate of Incorporation to extend such Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution costs and expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining stockholders and its board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

 F-8 

 

 

The initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete an Initial Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial stockholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete an initial business combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the initial business combination marketing fee (see Note 5) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete an initial business combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $10.10. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement (a "Target"), reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.10 per Public Share or (ii) the lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of interest that may be withdrawn to pay taxes, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or Target that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

 

Going Concern Consideration

 

As of September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021, the Company had $11,437 and $25,000 in cash, respectively, and a working capital deficiency of $275,163 and $99,680, respectively. Further, the Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital are through the Proposed Public Offering. The Company cannot assure that its plans to raise capital or to consummate its initial business combination will be successful. In addition, management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and its effect on the Company’s financial position, results its operations and/or search for a target company. See further discussion of the Company’s assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic below.

 

These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as going concern one year from the date these financial statements are issued. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from its inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or its inability to continue as a going concern.

 

Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying audited financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP") and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. All financial statements and information about events after June 16, 2021 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of a normal recurring nature, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, operating results and cash flows as of September 30, 2021 and for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021. The results for the period from April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2021.

 

Emerging Growth Company

 

The Company is an "emerging growth company," as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the "JOBS Act"), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

 

 F-9 

 

 

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 an emerging growth 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. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company that is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage limit of $250,000. At September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021, the Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.

 

Financial Instruments

 

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, "Fair Value Measurement," approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet.

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Deferred Offering Costs Associated with the Proposed Public Offering

 

Deferred offering costs will consist of direct costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations. At September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021, the Company has incurred $297,125 and $122,596 of deferred offering costs, respectively.

 

Net Loss Per Share of Common Stock

 

The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. The weighted average number of shares outstanding were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 375,000 Founders Shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters. At September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares of common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under FASB ASC 740, "Income Taxes." Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities in the financial statements and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Deferred tax assets were deemed immaterial as of September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021.

 

 F-10 

 

 

FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any tax issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the periods from April 28, 2021 (inception) through September 30, 2021 and from April 28, 2021 (inception) through June 16, 2021.

 

Accounting for Warrants

 

The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the instruments’ specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in FASB ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the instruments are free standing financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the instruments meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the instruments are indexed to the Company’s own common shares and whether the instrument holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, was conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the instruments are outstanding. Management has concluded that the Public Warrants (as defined in Note 3) and Private Placement Warrants issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt – debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 on April 28, 2021 (inception). The Company does not believe adopting ASU 2020-06 will have an impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

 

The Company’s management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

 

Note 3 — Proposed Public Offering

 

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 10,000,000 Units at a price of $10.00 per Unit, and has granted to the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units (over and above the 10,000,000 Units referred to above or 11,500,000 total) solely to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

Each unit consists of one share of common stock, par value $0.0001, and one Public Warrant. Each Public Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of common stock at a price of $11.50 per whole share, subject to certain adjustments. Each warrant will become exercisable on the later of one year after the closing of this offering or 30 days after the consummation of its initial business combination and will expire five years after the completion of its initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.

 

Note 4 — Related Party Transactions

 

Founder Shares

 

On June 9, 2021, the Sponsor acquired 4,312,500 shares of common stock of the Company (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Prior to the initial investment in the Company of $25,000 by the Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the Founder Shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash paid to the Company by the aggregate number of Founder Shares issued. On June 16, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 1,207,500 of the Founder Shares to an affiliate of A.G.P. for $7,000. On November 22, 2021, the Company effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of its common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to the Company’s sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that the sponsor owns an aggregate of 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares. Shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the reverse stock split. Up to 375,000 Founder Shares (including the Founder Shares transferred to an affiliate of A.G.P.) are subject to forfeiture by the subscribers if the underwriters of the initial public offering (“IPO”) of units (“Units”) of the Company, do not fully exercise their over-allotment option (the “Over-allotment Option”). The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters so that the Founder Shares will represent 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering. If the Company increases or decreases the size of the offering, the Company will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering in such amount as to maintain the Founder Share ownership of the Company’s stockholders prior to the Proposed Public Offering at 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.

 

 F-11 

 

 

The initial stockholders will agree, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, (x) if the last sale price of the common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Related Party Promissory Note

 

On June 9, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier to occur of (i) December 31, 2021 and (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of September 30, 2021, the Company has $55,000 outstanding under the promissory note.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the initial stockholders, officers, and directors, and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required. If the Company completes its initial business combination, it may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to the Company. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the trust account would be used for such repayment. The terms of such loans by the initial stockholders, officers, and directors, and their affiliates if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into units of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. There were no Working Capital Loans outstanding as of September 30, 2021 or June 16, 2021.

 

Note 5 — Private Placement

 

The Sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 361,000 Private Placement Units (or up to 376,000 Private Placement Units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per Private Placement Unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The Private Placement Units will be identical to the Public Units sold, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. There will be no underwriting fees or commissions with respect to the Private Placement Units.

 

Note 6 — Commitments & Contingencies

 

Registration Rights

 

The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Units and Private Placement Warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Units or Private Placement Warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to certain demand and "piggyback" registration rights. However, the registration rights agreement will provide that we will not be required to effect or permit any registration or cause any registration statement to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The underwriters will be entitled to an underwriting fee of $500,000, payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, regardless of if the underwriters’ exercise the over-allotment option. As an additional underwriting fee, on June 16, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 1,207,500 of the Founder Shares to an affiliate of A.G.P. for $7,000 (up to 157,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part). On November 22, 2021, the Company effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of its common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to the Company’s sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that the sponsor owns an aggregate of 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares.

 

 F-12 

 

 

Business Combination Marketing Agreement

 

The Company has engaged A.G.P. as an advisor in connection with a Initial Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with its stockholders to discuss the potential Initial Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Company’s securities in connection with a Initial Business Combination, assist the Company in obtaining stockholders approval for the Initial Business Combination and assist the Company with its press releases and public filings in connection with the Initial Business Combination. The Company will pay A.G.P. a fee for such marketing services upon the consummation of a Initial Business Combination in an amount equal to 4.5% of the gross proceeds of Proposed Public Offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable).

 

Note 7 — Stockholders’ Equity

 

Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021, there were 4,312,500 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, up to 562,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. On November 22, 2021, the Company effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of its common stock, and there were 2,875,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in connection with the Proposed Public Offering.

 

Holders of the common shares will vote on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company's stockholders, except as required by law or stock exchange rule; provided that holders of the common shares shall have the right to vote on the election of the Company's directors prior to its initial business combination.

 

Preferred Stock—The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At September 30, 2021 and June 16, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

 

Public Warrants - The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of a Initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

 

The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

 

in whole and not in part;
at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;
upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption;
if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the shares of common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations), for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the Public Warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders; and
if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of common stock underlying the Public Warrants.

 

 F-13 

 

 

If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement.

 

The exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the Public Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of common stock at a price below their respective exercise prices. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Initial Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Publci Warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such Public Warrants. Accordingly, the Publci Warrants may expire worthless.

 

In addition, if the Company issues additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to the initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the Public Warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the price at which the Company issues the additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities.

 

Private Warrants - The Private Placement Warrants underlying the Private Placement Units that will be sold in the private placement will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that such warrants, and the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions.

 

Note 8 — Subsequent Events

 

Subsequent events are events or transactions that occur after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements are issued or are available to be issued. These events and transactions either provide additional evidence about conditions that existed at the date of the balance sheet, including the estimates inherent in the process of preparing the financial statements (that is, recognized subsequent events), or provide evidence about conditions that did not exist at the date of the balance sheet but arose after that date (that is, non-recognized subsequent events). In accordance with ASC 855, Subsequent Events, the Company has evaluated subsequent events through January 5, 2022.

 

On November 22, 2021, the Company effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of its common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to the Company’s sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that the sponsor owns an aggregate of 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares (see Notes 4 and 7).

 

 F-14 

 

 

$100,000,000

 

Western Acquisition Ventures Corp.

 

10,000,000 Units

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

A.G.P.

 

Co-Manager

Brookline Capital Markets

 

a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC 

 

Qualified Independent Underwriter 

The Benchmark Company, LLC

 

, 2022

 

Until             , 2022 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our shares of common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

 

The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:

 

SEC expenses  $15,991 
FINRA expenses  $46,454 
Accounting fees and expenses  $40,000 
Printing and engraving expenses  $35,000 
Legal fees and expenses  $375,000 
Nasdaq listing and filing fees  $75,000 
Miscellaneous(1)  $97,555 
Total  $685,000 

 

  (1) This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by us in connection with the offering over and above those specifically listed above, including distribution and mailing costs, transfer agent fees, warrant agent fees and trustee fees and any travel and road show expenses.

 

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and officers.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law or DGCL. Section 145 of the DGCL concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

 

Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

 

  (a) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner that the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

  (b) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses that the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

 II-1 

 

 

  (c) To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

 

  (d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.

 

  (e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

 

  (f) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.

 

  (g) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.

 

  (h) For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger that, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

 

 II-2 

 

 

  (i) For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation that imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.

 

  (j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

  (k) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.

 

If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.

 

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The right to indemnification that will be conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.

 

The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights that any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.

 

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

Our bylaws, which we intend to adopt immediately prior to the closing of this offering, include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those that will be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

 

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.

 

We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this registration statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

 

Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

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Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

 

On June 9, 2021 our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, up to 562,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent approximately 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering (not including the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement units). An affiliate of A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners received 1,207,500 founder shares from our sponsor, of which 157,500 shares are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Our initial stockholders are accredited investors for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.

 

On November 22, 2021, we effected a 2 for 3 reverse stock split of our common stock, and A.G.P. sold back to our sponsor 55,000 founder shares for $478, such that our sponsor owns 2,125,000 founder shares, and A.G.P. owns 750,000 founder shares (of which 277,174 founder shares and 97,826 founder shares, respectively, are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that our initial stockholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering). None of our initial stockholders has indicated any intention to purchase public units in this offering.

 

In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 361,000 units (or up to 376,000 units depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), at $10.00 per unit for a total purchase price of $3,610,000 (or up to $3,760,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

No underwriting discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to such sales.

 

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

 

(a) The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

 

Exhibit No.   Description
1.1**   Form of Underwriting Agreement.
1.2**   Business Combination Agreement
3.1**   Certificate of Incorporation.
3.2**   Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
3.3**   Bylaws.
4.1**   Specimen Unit Certificate.
4.2**   Specimen Common Stock Certificate.
4.3**   Specimen Warrant Certificate.
4.4**   Form of Warrant Agreement between American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC and the Registrant.
5.1**   Opinion of Reed Smith LLP.
10.1**   Form of Letter Agreement from each of the Registrant’s officers, directors, sponsor, and A.G.P./Alliance Global Partners
10.2**   Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC and the Registrant.
10.3*   Promissory Note dated June 9, 2021, issued to Western Acquisition Ventures Sponsor LLC
10.4*   Securities Subscription Agreement, dated June 9, 2021, between the Registrant and Western Acquisition Ventures Sponsor LLC
10.5**   Form of Registration Rights Agreement.
10.6**   Form of Subscription agreement for prrivate placement units.
10.7**   Form of Stock Escrow Agreement.
10.9*   Form of Indemnification Agreement.
14.1*   Code of Ethics.
23.1**   Consent of Marcum LLP.
23.2**   Consent of Reed Smith (included in Exhibit 5.1).
24.1**   Power of Attorney (included on signature page of this Registration Statement).
99.1*   Audit committee charter.
99.2*   Compensation committee charter.
99.3*   Nominating committee charter.
99.4*   Consent of Stephen Christoffersen.
99.5*   Form of Consent of Ade Okunubi.
99.6*   Form of Consent of Ali Jahangiri.
99.7*   Form of Consent of Robin L. Smith.
99.8*   Form of Consent of Adam K. Stern.

 

* Previously filed.

** Filed herein.

 

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Item 17. Undertakings.

 

  (a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

 

  (b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

  (c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

 

  (1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

 

  (2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

  (3) For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.

 

  (4) For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

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  (i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

  (ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant;

 

  (iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

  (iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

  (d) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

  (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 

  (i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

 

  (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

 

  (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

 

  (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

  (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered that remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

  (4) That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933 in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

  (i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

  (ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

  (iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

  (iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in New York, New York on the 5th day of January, 2022.

 

  WESTERN ACQUISITION VENTURES CORP.
   
  By: /s/ Stephen Christoffersen
  Name: Stephen Christoffersen
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Stephen Christoffersen and William Lischak their true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in their name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including pre- and post-effective amendments to this registration statement, any subsequent registration statement for the same offering that may be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and pre- or post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or their substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Name   Position   Date
/s/ Stephen Christoffersen   Chief Executive Officer   January 5, 2022
Stephen Christoffersen   (Principal Executive Officer) and Secretary    
         
/s/ William Lischak   Chief Financial Officer and Director   January 5, 2022
William Lischak   (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)    

 

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