S-1/A 1 fs12020a1_riceacquisition.htm REGISTRATION STATEMENT

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on October 15, 2020

Registration No. 333-249340

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

________________________________

AMENDMENT NO. 1
TO

FORM S
-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

________________________________

RICE ACQUISITION CORP.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

________________________________

Delaware

 

6770

 

85-2867266

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

102 East Main Street, Second Story
Carnegie, Pennsylvania 15106
(713) 446
-6259
(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of registrant’s
principal executive offices)

________________________________

Daniel Joseph Rice, IV
Chief Executive Officer
102 East Main Street, Second Story
Carnegie, Pennsylvania 15106
(713) 446
-6259
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

________________________________

Copies to:

David P. Oelman
E. Ramey Layne
Sarah K. Morgan
Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.
1001 Fannin Street, Suite 2500
Houston, Texas 77002
(713) 758
-2222

 

Christian Nagler
Brooks Antweil
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10002
(212) 446
-4800

________________________________

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public:

As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement

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, 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, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer

 

£

 

Accelerated filer

 

£

Non-accelerated filer

 

£

 

Smaller reporting company

 

S

       

Emerging growth company

 

S

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. £

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 which 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 contained in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. No securities may be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities, in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Subject to Completion, dated October 15, 2020

PROSPECTUS

   

$200,000,000

Rice Acquisition Corp.

20,000,000 Units

  

Rice Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any specific business combination target. We intend to focus our search for a target business in the broadly defined energy transition or sustainability arena.

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

(Prospectus cover continued on the following page)

________________________________

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 35 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.

________________________________

 

Per Unit

 

Total

Public offering price

 

$

10.00

 

$

200,000,000

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)(2)

 

$

0.55

 

$

11,000,000

Proceeds, before expenses, to Rice Acquisition Corp.

 

$

9.45

 

$

189,000,000

____________

(1)      Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting discounts and commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. See “Underwriting” beginning on page 161 for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.

(2)      The underwriters will not receive any underwriting discounts or commissions on any units sold in this offering to purchasers introduced to the underwriters by affiliates of Rice Investment Group. This prospectus assumes no such purchasers have purchased units in this offering.

Of the approximately $206 million in proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, or approximately $236.6 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, approximately $200 million ($10.00 per unit), or approximately $230 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $6.0 million, including $4.0 million in underwriting discounts and commissions (or $6.6 million, including $4.6 million in underwriting discounts and commissions, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be used to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to pay franchise and income tax obligations of the Company or Opco, the proceeds from this offering and the portion of proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (b) the redemption of any public shares (other than sponsor shares) properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, and (c) the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders.

Neither the SEC 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.

The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about         , 2020.

Barclays

Prospectus dated             , 2020

 

(Prospectus cover continued from preceding page.)

We will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco, divided by the number of then outstanding shares of our Class A common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, and Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) subject to the limitations described herein. If we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will 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 pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.), subject to applicable law and as further described herein.

Our sponsor, Rice Acquisition Sponsor LLC (which we refer to as our sponsor throughout this prospectus), has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,423,400 warrants (or 5,963,400 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($5,423,400 in the aggregate, or $5,963,400 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the private placement warrants. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase for $11.50 one share of our Class A common stock or, in certain circumstances, one Class A Unit of our operating subsidiary, Rice Acquisition Holdings LLC (which we refer to as Opco throughout this prospectus), together with a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock. Atlas Point Fund (as defined below) has also committed to purchase 602,600 private placement warrants (or 662,600 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($602,600 in the aggregate, or $662,600 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.

Our initial stockholders own an aggregate of 5,750,100 shares of our Class B common stock, 5,750,000 Class B Units of Opco (up to 750,000 of each are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), 100 Class A Units of Opco and 2,500 shares of our Class A common stock. The Class B Units of Opco will convert into Class A Units of Opco in connection with our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. We refer to the Class B Units of Opco (or the Class A Units of Opco into which such Class B Units will convert), together with a corresponding number of shares of our non-economic Class B common stock, collectively as the founder shares throughout this prospectus. The founder shares will be exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock after the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In October 2020, our sponsor forfeited 90,000 Class B Units of Opco, and 30,000 Class B Units of Opco were issued to each of our independent director nominees. Our sponsor transferred a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock to our independent director nominees. Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsor will forfeit 287,500 Class B Units of Opco, and 287,500 Class B Units of Opco will be issued to Atlas Point Fund. Our sponsor will transfer a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock to Atlas Point Fund.

We have entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which we may elect, in our sole and absolute discretion, to offer Atlas Point Energy Infrastructure Fund, LLC (“Atlas Point Fund”), which is a fund managed by CIBC National Trust Company (“CIBC National Trust”), the opportunity to purchase up to $75,000,000 of either (i) a number of units (the “forward purchase units”), consisting of one share of our Class A common stock (the “forward purchase shares”) and one-third of one warrant (the “forward purchase warrants”), for $10.00 per unit or (ii) a number of forward purchase shares for $9.67 per share (such forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share or the forward purchase units, as the case may be, the “forward purchase securities”) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of our initial business combination. Whether we will issue Atlas Point Fund forward purchase units valued at $10.00 per unit or forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share will be determined at our election, and in our sole discretion, at least 10 business days prior to the closing of our initial business combination. Each whole forward purchase warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. The forward purchase warrants will have the same terms as the public warrants and the forward purchase shares will be identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except the forward purchase shares and the forward purchase warrants will be subject to transfer restrictions and certain registration rights and the forward purchase units will consist of only one-third of one forward purchase warrant. The funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination, and any excess funds may be used for the working capital needs of the post-transaction company. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The forward purchase agreement is subject to conditions, including Atlas Point Fund giving us its written consent to purchase the forward purchase securities no later than five days after we notify it of our intention to meet to consider entering into a definitive agreement for a proposed business combination. Atlas Point Fund may grant or withhold its consent to the purchase entirely within its sole discretion. Accordingly, if Atlas Point Fund does not consent to the purchase, it will not be obligated to purchase the forward purchase securities.

Atlas Point Fund has indicated that it intends to purchase up to 9.9% of the units in this offering for a maximum of $25,000,000, but its indication of interest is not binding. There can be no assurance that Atlas Point Fund will acquire any units in this offering. To the extent that Atlas Point Fund purchases any units in this offering, Atlas Point Fund will forfeit all of its founder shares if it sells any units purchased in this offering prior to our initial business combination.

Affiliates of Rice Investment Group, including members of our management and owners of our sponsor, have also indicated interest in purchasing up to 7.5% of the units in this offering, although we cannot guarantee that such persons will ultimately acquire any units in this offering.

Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We intend to apply to have our units listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or the NYSE, under the symbol “RICE U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Barclays Capital Inc. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “RICE” and “RICE WS,” respectively.

 

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

Summary

 

1

Risk Factors

 

35

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

 

69

Use of Proceeds

 

70

Dividend Policy

 

74

Dilution

 

75

Capitalization

 

77

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

78

Proposed Business

 

84

Management

 

117

Principal Stockholders

 

126

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

 

129

Description of Securities

 

134

Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations

 

151

Underwriting

 

161

Legal Matters

 

167

Experts

 

167

Where You Can Find Additional Information

 

167

Index to Financial Statements

 

F-1

 

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 or the context otherwise requires, references to:

•        “Atlas Point Fund” are to Atlas Point Energy Infrastructure Fund, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

•        “Common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively;

•        “equity-linked securities” are to any securities of our company or any of our subsidiaries which are convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, equity securities of our company or such subsidiary, including any securities issued by our company or any of our subsidiaries which are pledged to secure any obligation of any holder to purchase equity securities of our company or any of our subsidiaries, and including Opco Units;

•        “forward purchase agreement” are to the agreement that provides for the sale of the forward purchase securities to Atlas Point Fund in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of our initial business combination;

•        “forward purchase securities” are to either the forward purchase units valued at $10.00 per unit or the forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share, which may be issued at our discretion pursuant to the forward purchase agreement;

•        “forward purchase shares” are to our Class A common stock that may be issued pursuant to the forward purchase agreement;

•        “forward purchase units” are to the units, consisting of one share of our Class A common stock and one-third of one warrant that may be issued pursuant to the forward purchase agreement;

•        “forward purchase warrants” are to the warrants that may be sold as part of the forward purchase units pursuant to the forward purchase agreement;

•        “founder shares” are to the Class B Units of Opco initially issued in a private placement to our sponsor prior to this offering (or the Class A Units of Opco into which such Class B Units will convert) and a corresponding number of shares of our non-economic Class B common stock;

•        “initial stockholders” are to holders of our founder shares and sponsor shares prior to this offering, including Atlas Point Energy Infrastructure Fund, LLC;

•        “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;

•        “Opco” is to Rice Acquisition Holdings LLC;

•        “Opco Units” are to the Class A Units and Class B Units of Opco;

•        “private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor and Atlas Point Fund in private placements simultaneously with the closing of this offering;

•        “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and, unless otherwise stated herein, the 2,500 shares of our Class A common stock forming part of the sponsor shares, which collectively represent 100% of the economic interests in Rice Acquisition Corp.;

•        “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial stockholders and management team to the extent our initial stockholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial stockholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares;

1

•        “public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);

•        “Rice Investment Group” is a multi-strategy fund controlled by the Rice family and other members of our management focused on a diverse array of energy related investments, including energy transition investments;

•        “sponsor” are to Rice Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. Our sponsor is controlled by its managing members, Daniel Joseph Rice, IV and J. Kyle Derham, and owned by members of our management and other individuals, and is an affiliate of Rice Investment Group;

•        “sponsor shares” are to the 100 Class A Units of Opco and corresponding number of shares of our non-economic Class B common stock (which together will be exchangeable into shares of Class A common stock after our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis) and the 2,500 shares of our Class A common stock purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering; and

•         “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Rice Acquisition Corp. and Opco.

Each unit consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one warrant for each unit purchased. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.

Registered trademarks referred to in this prospectus are the property of their respective owners. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.

Our Company

We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or assets, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to focus our search for a target business in the broadly defined energy transition or sustainability arena. Specifically, we plan to concentrate our search on supply-side solutions and innovations that enable the economy to decarbonize in sectors that include renewable fuels, sustainable chemical production and feedstocks, carbon capture, utilization and storage technology and equipment, applications, infrastructure and technology focused on reducing the carbon intensity of fuels, energy production methods, and industrial processes.

We intend to identify and acquire a business that could benefit from a hands-on owner with extensive operational experience and the public company expertise our management team possesses, and/or that relies on the target’s executive and operational expertise but presents potential for an attractive risk-adjusted return profile under our stewardship. Members of our management team previously served as executive officers of Rice Energy Inc. (“Rice Energy”), an Appalachian Basin focused natural gas operator, and Rice Midstream Partners LP (“Rice Midstream”), an operator of large-scale natural gas and water infrastructure. Rice Energy was formed in 2007 by the Rice family and quickly grew to become one of the largest producers of natural gas in the United States. Nine months after Rice Energy’s $1 billion initial public offering in January 2014, its midstream assets were spun off into Rice Midstream, a tax efficient master limited partnership, and taken public via initial public offering in December 2014. Rice Energy’s and Rice Midstream’s growth was fueled both organically and by large-scale acquisitions of strategic targets. Rice Energy was acquired by EQT Corporation (“EQT”) in 2017 for $8.2 billion, forming the largest natural gas operator in the United States, and Rice Midstream was acquired by EQT Midstream Partners, LP (“EQM”) for $2.4 billion in 2018. We believe these businesses played a critical role in lowering carbon emissions by displacing coal with a growing supply of low-cost, cleaner burning U.S. natural gas. We believe our management team’s track record of building Rice Energy and Rice Midstream demonstrate our ability to successfully establish, build and grow large scale businesses in growing industries while generating peer leading returns for shareholders and contributing to lower U.S. emissions.

2

Subsequent to the sales of Rice Energy and Rice Midstream, members of our management team formed Rice Investment Group, a multi-strategy fund controlled by the Rice family and other members of our management focused on a diverse array of energy related investments, including energy transition investments. Rice Investment Group maintains a 20 year investment horizon and has relied upon the experience, breadth of knowledge and vision of its management team to find, create, and invest in compelling long term energy opportunities. Certain of those opportunities include successful early stage investments in companies tasked with solving today’s most pressing climate-related challenges, including but not limited to development of AI-enhanced carbon monitoring and measurement tools, developing low cost renewable gas capture and development projects, and building AI enhanced flow control solutions to minimize carbon emissions. We intend to leverage our management’s experience and track record of finding, evaluating, investing and guiding these forward-thinking businesses.

Our management team also has experience transforming underperforming businesses. Following a year of disappointing operational results and poor shareholder returns at EQT, in response to inquiries from other EQT shareholders, certain members of the Rice Investment Group, including members of our management team (the “Rice Team”), conducted a shareholder campaign to revamp the strategic direction of EQT and elect a new majority slate of directors to EQT’s board of directors. In July 2019, over 80% of EQT’s shareholders voted to install the Rice Team’s director nominees. The Rice Team, working in conjunction with the EQT board of directors and management, executed on a 100-day plan to transform EQT into a peer leader in capital efficiency. EQT has reported that it decreased per unit capital costs, renegotiated key service arrangements to reduce per unit operating expenses, streamlined the organizational structure to reduce general and administrative expenses, and installed numerous enterprise applications as part of a digital transformation to support further evolution of EQT’s business processes. Our management team’s experience at EQT demonstrates our ability to rapidly transform a business plagued by poor operational performance into a peer leader.

We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive risk-adjusted returns in the marketplace and that its contacts and transaction sources, ranging from industry executives, private owners, private equity funds, and investment bankers, in addition to the industry reach of Rice Investment Group, will enable us to pursue a broad range of opportunities.

We have entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which we may elect, in our sole and absolute discretion, to offer Atlas Point Energy Infrastructure Fund, LLC (“Atlas Point Fund”), which is a fund managed by CIBC National Trust Company (“CIBC National Trust”) the opportunity to purchase up to $75,000,000 of either (i) a number of units (the “forward purchase units”), consisting of one share of our Class A common stock (the “forward purchase shares”) and one-third of one warrant (the “forward purchase warrants”), for $10.00 per unit or (ii) a number of forward purchase shares for $9.67 per share (such forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share or the forward purchase units, as the case may be, the “forward purchase securities”) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of our initial business combination. Whether we will issue Atlas Point Fund forward purchase units valued at $10.00 per unit or forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share will be determined at our election, and in our sole discretion, at least 10 business days prior to the closing of our initial business combination. Each whole forward purchase warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. The forward purchase warrants will have the same terms as the public warrants and the forward purchase shares will be identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except the forward purchase shares and the forward purchase warrants will be subject to transfer restrictions and certain registration rights and the forward purchase units will consist of only one-third of one forward purchase warrant. The funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination, and any excess funds may be used for the working capital needs of the post-transaction company. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The forward purchase agreement is subject to conditions, including Atlas Point Fund giving us its written consent to purchase the forward purchase securities no later than five days after we notify it of our intention to meet to consider entering into a definitive agreement for a proposed business combination. Atlas Point Fund may grant or withhold its consent to the purchase entirely within its sole discretion. Accordingly, if Atlas Point Fund does not consent to the purchase, it will not be obligated to purchase the forward purchase securities. Additionally, pursuant to the terms of the forward purchase agreement, we have granted Atlas Point Fund the right to appoint a single observer to our board of directors until the consummation of our initial business combination. Such observer will not have voting rights or otherwise have any of the powers of a member of our board of directors and Atlas Point Fund will not have the right to appoint such observer at any time that Atlas Point Fund or any of Atlas

3

Point Fund’s affiliates has the right to designate a director or observer to the board of directors of a special purchase acquisition company that is focused on an industry similar to that which we are focused.

Please see the risk factor entitled “In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial business combination, our management may consider the availability of funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities, which may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination. If Atlas Point Fund decides not to accept our offer to purchase the forward purchase securities, we may decide not to consummate our initial business combination, or if we decide to, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination” for more information.

We believe our ability to complete an initial business combination will be enhanced by our entering into this forward purchase agreement with Atlas Point Fund.

Management, Board of Directors and Our Sponsor

Daniel Joseph Rice, IV, our Chief Executive Officer, has over 15 years of experience in the energy industry. Mr. Rice is a Partner of Rice Investment Group and served as Chief Executive Officer of Rice Energy from October 2013 through the completion of its acquisition by EQT in November 2017. Prior to his role as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rice served as Chief Operating Officer of Rice Energy from October 2012 through September 2013 and as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Rice Energy from October 2008 through September 2012. Mr. Rice oversaw Rice Energy’s growth from start-up through its $1 billion initial public offering in 2014 and eventual $8.2 billion sale to EQT in 2017. Mr. Rice also oversaw the creation and growth of Rice Midstream, which was acquired by EQM for $2.4 billion in 2018. Mr. Rice established Rice Energy’s strategic framework for value creation, which yielded success for its shareholders and employees. He has utilized his operating and growth strategy formulation experience as the founder of Rice Energy to help portfolio companies of Rice Investment Group to refine and optimize their business strategies in order to profitably grow. Mr. Rice currently serves on the board of directors of EQT, and he recently joined the board of Whiting Petroleum in August 2020. Prior to joining Rice Energy, he was an investment banker for Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. in Houston and held finance and strategic roles with Transocean Ltd. and Tyco International plc.

J. Kyle Derham, our President and Chief Financial Officer, is a Partner of Rice Investment Group. Mr. Derham, as part of the Rice Team, led the shareholder campaign in 2019 to revamp the strategic direction of EQT and successfully elect a majority slate of director candidates to the board of EQT, the largest operator of natural gas production in the United States. Following the campaign, Mr. Derham served as interim Chief Financial Officer of EQT and currently serves as a strategic advisor to the company. Mr. Derham previously served as Vice President, Corporate Development and Finance of Rice Energy and Rice Midstream from January 2014 through November 2017. Through his various roles working alongside the Rice family, Mr. Derham has focused on evaluating, structuring and negotiating key acquisitions and execution of critical strategic initiatives to generate attractive risk adjusted returns for investors. Mr. Derham also has experience as a private equity investor, working as an associate at First Reserve and as an investment banker at Barclays Investment Bank.

James Wilmot Rogers, our Chief Accounting Officer, served as Senior Vice Present and Chief Accounting Officer & Administrative Officer, Treasurer of Rice Energy from April 2011 through November 2017. Mr. Rogers led accounting, tax and human resources functions for Rice Energy, Rice Midstream and its numerous joint ventures and joint venture companies. Mr. Rogers oversaw such functions through two initial public offerings in a single calendar year (Rice Energy in January 2014 and Rice Midstream in December 2014) and through numerous asset and corporate level acquisitions totaling more than $10 billion in asset value. He also has numerous years in public accounting experience, having worked at both Ernst & Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

We will also draw on the experience of our other board members:

Dr. Kathryn Jackson, one of our independent director nominees, is an accomplished executive leader with a highly successful career in electricity generation, energy system operations and technology management. Dr. Jackson serves as Director of Energy and Technology Consulting for KeySource, Inc. Prior to this role, Dr. Jackson has served as President and Chief Technology Officer for RTI International Metals, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President for Research and Technology for Westinghouse Electric Company, LLC, and Executive Vice President of River System Operations and Environment for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Dr. Jackson serves on the board of directors of Portland General Electric, Cameco Corporation, Duquesne Light Holdings and EQT. Dr. Jackson previously served on the board of directors of Rice Energy from April 2017 until its acquisition by

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EQT. Dr. Jackson holds advanced degrees in engineering, industrial engineering, and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. We believe Dr. Jackson’s broad experience and deep technical knowledge across renewable and non-renewable energy sources will help us in our pursuit of a business combination that creates value for our stockholders and clean energy for our country.

Joseph Malchow, one of our independent director nominees, is the Founding General Partner at HNVR Technology Investment Management in Menlo Park, California, a Seed and Series A venture capital firm. The firm supports software entrepreneurs in fields including artificial intelligence, developer tooling, low code business logic, data and computing infrastructure, cybersecurity for enterprise, government, and people, and SaaS in a number of specific verticals including finance and credit, freight and logistics, national security and defense technology, and construction. Mr. Malchow also sits on the Board of Enphase Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENPH), a global energy technology company. Mr. Malchow earned an A.B. from Dartmouth College in 2008. He later studied at the law and business schools of Stanford University, receiving a J.D. in 2013. We believe that Mr. Malchow’s considerable experience deploying early capital into emerging technology companies in Silicon Valley, as well as his experience on the board of a rapidly growing, public company that has pioneered significant breakthroughs in microgrid, battery, and solar technology, will add significant value to the board of directors.

James Torgerson, one of our independent director nominees, was the Chief Executive Officer of Avangrid, Inc., a public utility company with $35 billion of assets, from December 2015 until June 2020. Prior to that role, Mr. Torgerson served as President and Chief Executive Officer of UIL Holdings Corporation beginning in 2006. Prior to 2006, Mr. Torgerson was President and Chief Executive Officer of Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. Mr. Torgerson served as the chair of the board of directors of the American Gas Association and serves as a trustee of the Yale-New Haven Hospital and as a trustee of Yale New Haven Health System. Until his retirement in June 2020, he served on the board and as an executive committee member of the Edison Electric Institute (“EEI”). Mr. Torgerson also co-chaired EEI’s Board Committee for Reliability, Security and Business Continuity, which included responsibility related to cyber security for the EEI member utilities. Mr. Torgerson, prior to his retirement, was also a member of the Electricity Sub-sector Coordinating Council (“ESCC”), that coordinates with the federal government on physical and cyber security and natural disasters impacting the electric grid. We believe that Mr. Torgerson brings to the board of directors a distinguished, executive leadership experience as CEO and director of a large, public utility on the forefront of renewable energy development in the U.S.

Our sponsor, Rice Acquisition Sponsor LLC, is an entity controlled by its managing members, Daniel Joseph Rice, IV and J. Kyle Derham, and owned by members of our management and other individuals. For approximately 15 years, the Rice family has built a successful track record through a disciplined investment framework with expertise that spans across the energy industry, including through Rice Investment Group. Rice Investment Group is a $200 million multi-strategy fund controlled by the Rice family and other members of our management focused on a diverse array of energy related investments, including energy transition investments. As a result of their investment activities, our management team and Rice Investment Group have developed deep industry relationships across the entire energy value chain, including the upstream and midstream sectors as well as the alternative energy and renewables sectors and companies providing services or components to these sectors. We believe the reputation and expertise of Rice Investment Group and our management team in the energy industry will make us a preferred partner for potential business combination targets. Toby Z. Rice, the brother of Daniel Joseph Rice, IV and the President and Chief Executive Officer of EQT, will not participate in the management of us or our sponsor.

Past performance of the Rice family, Rice Investment Group or our management team is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the Rice family, Rice Investment Group or our management’s performance as indicative of our future performance.

None of our officers or directors have served as a sponsor, director or officer of any blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past.

Market Opportunity

We intend to focus our search for a target business in the broadly defined energy transition or sustainability arena. Specifically, we plan to concentrate our search on supply-side solutions and innovations that enable the economy to decarbonize in sectors that include renewable fuels, sustainable chemical production and feedstocks, carbon capture, utilization and storage technology and equipment, applications, infrastructure and technology

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focused on reducing the carbon intensity of fuels, energy production methods, and industrial processes. We believe the recent capital market and investment activity directed at energy transition has focused on end-market applications such as vehicle electrification, energy efficiency for consumers and sustainable and eco-conscious products. These trends are important to the overall success of the energy transition; however, their adoption and commercial development require more focus on the production and supply of clean fuels, sustainable energy and industrial applications and infrastructure. We believe traditional renewable electricity generation from wind and solar will continue growing market share. These sources are ultimately limited by geography and intermittency, and will not solve the renewable energy needs of several sub-sectors of the economy less likely to electrify. Our focus on renewable fuels and sustainable chemical production will serve to bolster and complement the rapid development of wind and solar. Our management’s history and track-record of owning and building successful energy production companies provides us with unique and differentiated insights into how the traditional fossil fuel-based energy value chain is changing to accommodate for a lower carbon footprint and a more sustainable future.

The potential growth in the production and consumption of sustainable fuels, including renewable natural gas (“RNG”), blue and green hydrogen, renewable diesel, renewable jet fuel, low or zero-carbon synthetic fuels and fuels that incorporate carbon capture, utilization and storage represents a significant market opportunity. We believe the widespread adoption of renewable fuels by major sectors of the economy such as freight, air and marine transportation, residential and industrial heating and power generation and energy storage will create a profound disruption resulting in a very large addressable market. The carbon intensity of energy and industrial production methods is one of the main drivers for the adoption of renewable and low-carbon fuels. For example, traditional cement and steel production is very energy intensive and pollutant and can be decarbonized using clean fuels in heat generation and carbon capture, utilization and storage to reduce process-related emissions.

In addition, the infrastructure, industrial and technological requirements to increase the market penetration of sustainable fuels also present tremendous opportunity. Equipment, applications and installations such as anaerobic digesters that produce RNG, biodiesel plants that manufacture renewable diesel and electrolyzers that generate clean hydrogen need to be scaled up to handle increased demand and compete in markets including and beyond the transportation sector.

Large publicly traded companies in the energy, utility and waste management sectors have made significant investments in renewable energy production and infrastructure projects to meet their own emission reduction targets and adapt to changing regulatory frameworks and customer preferences. The advent of RNG, renewable diesel and blue and green hydrogen and technologies on carbon capture, utilization and storage will further increase the range of applications and use cases for renewable and zero-emission fuels over the longer term.

Furthermore, sustainable chemicals and materials also represent large addressable markets that displace carbon intensive fossil fuel-based products with lower emission sustainable alternatives. Petrochemicals can be replaced using biomass and recycled waste products as feedstock. The production of building materials can be decarbonized using recycling technologies and novel circular production methods that convert traditional waste products into valuable energy and/or feedstock sources.

Business Strategy

Our acquisition and value creation strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, build a company whose principal effort is developing and advancing the objectives of global decarbonization while generating attractive risk adjusted returns for our shareholders. Our acquisition strategy will leverage our management team’s and Rice Investment Group’s network of potential proprietary and public transaction sources where we believe a combination of our relationships, knowledge and experience in the renewable and energy industries could effect a positive transformation or augmentation of existing businesses or properties. Our goal is to build a focused business with multiple competitive advantages that have the potential to improve the target business’s overall value proposition. We plan to utilize the network and industry experience of our management team and Rice Investment Group in seeking an initial business combination and employing our acquisition strategy. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team and their affiliates, including Rice Investment Group, have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships that we believe will serve as a useful source of acquisition opportunities. In addition to industry and lending community relationships, we plan to leverage relationships with management teams of public and private companies, investment bankers, restructuring advisers, attorneys and accountants, which we believe should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will

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communicate with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target business and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potentially interesting leads.

Acquisition Criteria

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective targets for our initial business combination. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We intend to acquire target businesses that we believe:

•        operate in high growth, large addressable markets with favorable long-term market dynamics;

•        display differentiated business attributes and/or product offerings that provide us confidence on the long-term prospects and profitability of the company;

•        are fundamentally sound and can benefit from a partnership with us by leveraging the operational, transactional, financial, managerial and investment experience of our management team and Rice Investment Group;

•        can utilize the extensive networks and insights that our management team and Rice Investment Group have built in the renewable and energy industry;

•        are at an inflection point, such as requiring additional management expertise, are able to innovate through new operational techniques, or where we believe we can drive improved financial performance;

•        exhibit unrecognized value or other characteristics, desirable returns on capital, and a need for capital to achieve the company’s growth strategy, that we believe have been misevaluated by the marketplace based on our analysis and due diligence review; and

•        will offer an attractive risk-adjusted return for our stockholders.

Potential upside from growth in the target business and an improved capital structure will be weighed against any identified downside risks.

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management 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 proxy solicitation or tender offer materials that we would file with the SEC.

Initial Business Combination

The NYSE rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in trust (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. Our board will make the determination as to the fair market value of a target business or businesses. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of a target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc., or FINRA, or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business or there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects.

We may pursue an acquisition opportunity jointly with our sponsor, or one or more affiliates, including Rice Investment Group and/or one or more of its portfolio companies, which we refer to as an “Affiliated Joint Acquisition.” Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by issuing to such parties a class of

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equity or equity-linked securities. Our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation to make any such investment, and may compete with us for potential business combinations. Any such issuance of equity or equity-linked securities would, on a fully diluted basis, reduce the percentage ownership of our then-existing stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of our founder shares, issuances or deemed issuances of our Class A common stock or equity-linked securities would result in an adjustment to the number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco will convert (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding founder shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that, after all founder shares have been exchanged for shares of our Class A common stock, the aggregate number of shares of our Class A common stock received by holders in exchange for founder shares would equal 20% of the sum of the total outstanding shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering plus all shares of our Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the business combination (excluding the forward purchase securities and any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and excluding the sponsor shares).

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either (i) in such a way so that we will control 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses or (ii) in such a way so that we control less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described above. However, we will only complete a business combination if we control 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise are not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if we control 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, 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 outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If we control less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that is controlled is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for seeking stockholder approval or for purposes of a tender offer, as applicable.

Our Acquisition Process

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

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with or from a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, including a portfolio company of Rice Investment Group, or from entering into an agreement with our sponsor, officers or directors or their affiliates with respect to the operation of any business we acquire in connection with the initial business combination. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares, sponsor shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

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Members of our sponsor and our management team are continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination; we have not, however, selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such other entity. In addition, certain members of our management team and board of directors cannot provide services for, or directly or indirectly own an interest in, any business that does or seeks to do business with or is in competition with EQT, without the prior written approval of EQT. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our business combination. In addition, we may pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with an entity to which an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by issuing to such entity a class of equity or equity-linked securities. 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 our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

In addition, members of our sponsor, as well as Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies may sponsor other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination, and members of our management team (other than Mr. Rice and Mr. Derham) may participate in such blank check companies. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among the management teams. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Each of Mr. Rice and Mr. Derham has agreed not to become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering. Neither Mr. Rice nor Mr. Derham has been involved with any blank check companies in the past.

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.

Corporate Information

Our executive offices are located at 102 East Main Street, Second Story, Carnegie, Pennsylvania 15106, and our telephone number is (713) 446-6259. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be www.ricespac.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.

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

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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 (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, 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.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter or (ii) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

Our Structure

This offering is conducted through an “Up-C” structure. Following the offering, investors in this offering will hold a direct economic equity ownership interest in Rice Acquisition Corp. in the form of shares of our Class A common stock, and an indirect ownership interest in Opco through Rice Acquisition Corp.’s ownership of Class A Units of Opco. By contrast, our initial stockholders will own founder shares and sponsor shares, which include direct economic interests in Opco in the form of Class A and Class B Units of Opco and a corresponding non-economic voting equity interest in Rice Acquisition Corp. in the form of shares of our Class B common stock, as well as a direct interest in the form of our Class A common stock in Rice Acquisition Corp. Sponsor shares will be purchased for $10.00 each and, in the absence of an initial business combination, will generally participate in liquidation or other payments on a pari passu basis with the shares of our Class A common stock purchased as part of units in this offering. However, given the relatively de minimis number of sponsor shares relative to public shares, in many cases the economic, governance or other effects of the sponsor shares are not material to the holders of our Class A common stock or warrants, and for simplicity, portions of this disclosure may not fully describe or reflect these immaterial effects. Shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock are entitled to vote on the same basis, other than, prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Following this offering, Rice Acquisition Corp. will own a number of Class A Units of Opco equivalent to the number of shares of our Class A common stock outstanding after this offering, as well as a number of warrants to acquire Class A Units of Opco equivalent to the number of warrants to acquire shares of our Class A common stock sold in this offering, and will be the sole managing member of Opco. Opco will hold all of our material assets, including the trust account. The Opco Units are entitled to different economics by virtue of not being held through Rice Acquisition Corp., which is subject to corporate income tax. Please see the risk factor entitled “Our organizational structure confers certain benefits upon our initial stockholders that will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent as it will benefit our initial stockholders” for additional information.

In connection with our initial business combination, the Class B Units of Opco will convert into Class A Units of Opco on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided under the caption in the offering summary “Founder shares exchange and anti-dilution.” The Class A Units and Class B Units of Opco are substantially similar other than certain distribution rights. In addition, following our initial business combination, our initial stockholders will have the right, subject to certain limitations and our option to purchase for cash, as further described herein, to exchange Class A Units of Opco (and a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock) for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided under the caption in the

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offering summary “Founder shares exchange and anti-dilution.” The shares of our Class B common stock comprising the founder shares and sponsor shares cannot be transferred without transferring a corresponding number of Class A Units or Class B Units of Opco, as applicable, and vice versa. Following any exchange of Class A Units of Opco, Rice Acquisition Corp. will retain such Class A Units and cancel the shares of our Class B common stock. Please read “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions — Opco LLC Agreement.” In connection with our initial business combination, we might choose to issue additional Opco Units (and corresponding shares of our Class B common stock) to participants in the business combination, such as sellers of assets or entities or financing sources.

We believe that our Up-C structure provides us with significant advantages as it provides flexibility in structuring a variety of business combinations, including the flexibility to retain an Up-C structure following the business combination or restructure as a result of the business combination, depending on the nature and structure of the target and the efficiency and administrability of retaining our post-offering structure after the business combination. In addition, if we retain our Up-C structure, subsequent exchanges of Opco Units for shares of Class A common stock by the initial stockholders, or by owners of the target of a business combination, to the extent they receive Opco Units as consideration, may result in adjustments to the tax basis of the assets held by Opco at the time of the exchange, which adjustments would be allocated to Rice Acquisition Corp. These adjustments would not have been available to Rice Acquisition Corp. absent such exchanges and may increase (for tax purposes) Rice Acquisition Corp.’s depreciation and amortization deductions and may also decrease Rice Acquisition Corp.’s gains (or increase its losses) on future dispositions of certain assets to the extent the increase in tax basis is allocated to those assets. Such increased deductions and losses and reduced gains may reduce the amount of tax that Rice Acquisition Corp. would otherwise be required to pay in the future. While our Up-C structure differs from the structure of other special purpose acquisition companies, the terms of this offering are generally consistent with those of other special purpose acquisition companies. Please read “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Offerings by Other Special Purpose Acquisition Companies.”

The following diagram illustrates our simplified ownership structure after giving effect to this offering. This diagram assumes that Atlas Point Fund and affiliates of Rice Investment Group do not purchase any units in this offering.

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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.”

Securities offered

 

20,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:

•   one share of our Class A common stock; and

•   one-half of one warrant.

Listing symbols

 

We anticipate that the units, shares of our Class A common stock and warrants, once they begin separate trading, will be listed on the NYSE under the following symbols:

Units: “RICE U”

Class A common stock: “RICE”

Warrants: “RICE WS”

Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants

 


The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Barclays Capital Inc. informs us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of our Class A common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.

   

Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.

Separate trading of the Class A common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K

 



In no event will the Class A 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 at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. 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.

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Units:

   

Number outstanding before this Offering

 

0

Number outstanding after this offering

 

20,000,000(1)

Common stock:

   

Number outstanding before this Offering

 

2,500 shares of our Class A common stock and 5,750,100 shares of our Class B common stock(2)(3)

Number outstanding after this offering

 

20,002,500 shares of our Class A common stock and 5,000,100 shares of our Class B common stock(1)(3)

Warrants:

   

Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placements simultaneously with this offering

 



6,026,000(1)

Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placements

 


16,026,000(1)

Exercisability

 

Each whole warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase either one share of our Class A common stock or, in certain circumstances, one Class A Unit of Opco (and corresponding share of our Class B common stock). Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Upon the exercise of a warrant to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, Rice Acquisition Corp. will exercise a corresponding warrant to acquire one Class A Unit of Opco.

____________

(1)      Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 750,000 founder shares. The shares of common stock included in the units are shares of our Class A common stock.

(2)      Includes up to 750,000 shares of our founder shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

(3)      The Class B common stock comprise a portion of the founder shares and the sponsor shares. For each share of our Class B common stock there is a corresponding Class A or Class B Unit of Opco. In connection with our initial business combination, the Class B Units of Opco will convert into Class A Units of Opco on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares exchange and anti-dilution.” The Class A Units of Opco (together with the corresponding shares of our Class B common stock) that comprise the founder shares and sponsor shares will be exchangeable into shares of our Class A common stock after the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis. Each share of our Class B common stock has no economic rights but entitles its holder to one vote. We refer to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock collectively herein as our common stock.

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Exercise price

 

$11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustments as described herein.

   

In addition, if we issue additional shares of our Class A common stock 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 share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board 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) (the “newly issued price”), the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the newly issued price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below “Redemption of warrants when our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the newly issued price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of warrants when our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the newly issued price.

Exercise period

 

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:

•   30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and

•   12 months from the closing of this offering;

provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (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 our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

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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.

Redemption of warrants when our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share

 



Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants for cash (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):

•   in whole and not in part;

•   at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

•   upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and

•   if, and only if, the last sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrantholders.

   

We will not redeem the warrants for cash unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of our Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

   

If we call the warrants for redemption for cash 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 determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of our Class A 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. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.

   

None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers of the private placement warrants or their permitted transferees.

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Redemption of warrants when our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00

 


Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):

•   in whole and not in part;

•   at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of our Class A common stock determined by reference to the table set forth under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders Warrants” based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (as defined below) except as otherwise described in “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants”;

   

•   if, and only if, the last sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrantholders; and

•   if, and only if, there is an effective registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating thereto available throughout the 30-day period after written notice of redemption is given.

   

The “fair market value” of our shares of Class A common stock shall mean the volume weighted average price of our shares of Class A common stock as reported during 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. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).

   

No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. Please see the section entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.

   

None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers of the private placement warrants or their permitted transferees.

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Election of directors; voting rights

 

Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting in a stockholder meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our Class A common stock and holders of our Class B common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.

Founder shares

 

In September 2020, our sponsor received an aggregate of 5,750,000 Class B Units of Opco and 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock that comprise the founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the total outstanding equity after this offering (excluding the sponsor shares and any shares issuable upon exercise of any warrants). As such, the founder shares will collectively represent 20% of the total outstanding equity after this offering (excluding the sponsor shares and any shares issuable upon exercise of any warrants). In October 2020, our sponsor forfeited 90,000 Class B Units of Opco, and 30,000 Class B Units of Opco were issued to each of our independent director nominees. Our sponsor transferred a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock to our independent director nominees. Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsor will forfeit 287,500 Class B Units of Opco, and 287,500 Class B Units of Opco will be issued to Atlas Point Fund. Our sponsor will transfer a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock to Atlas Point Fund. Up to 750,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor (or its permitted transferees) depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised so that the founder shares held by the initial stockholders will continue to represent ownership of 20% of the total outstanding equity after this offering (excluding the sponsor shares and any shares issuable upon the exercise of any warrants).

   

Together, the founder shares are substantially similar to the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:

•   only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination;

•   the founder shares consist of Class B Units of Opco (and any Class A Units of Opco into which such Class B Units are converted) and a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock, which together will be exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock after the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein;

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

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•   pursuant to the Opco LLC Agreement and a letter agreement that our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers and directors have entered into with us, they have agreed (i) that any founder shares and sponsor shares held by them will not be entitled to redemption rights, and they will waive any such redemption rights for any public shares held by them, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) that any founder shares and sponsor shares held by them will not be entitled to redemption rights, and they will waive any such redemption rights for any public shares held by them, in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation in a manner that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, (iii) that any founder shares held by them are subject to forfeiture, and thus will not be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account, and they will waive any such rights to liquidating distributions for any founder shares, if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares and sponsor shares they hold if we fail to complete our business combination within the prescribed time frame), and (iv) in certain limited circumstances the Class B Units of Opco will have more limited rights to current or liquidating distributions from us. 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 outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. Our initial stockholders have agreed to vote any founder shares and sponsor shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and sponsor shares, we would need 7,498,701, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (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 Class A common stock into which the founder shares are exchangeable are entitled to registration rights.

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Transfer restrictions on founder shares: Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them, and any shares of our Class A common stock acquired upon exchange of founder shares, until one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, (i) the last sale price of our Class A 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 our initial business combination or (ii) we consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.

   

The shares of our Class B common stock comprising the founder shares and sponsor shares cannot be transferred without transferring a corresponding number of Opco Units and vice versa.

   

In September 2020, our sponsor received an aggregate of 2,500 shares of our Class A common stock and 100 Class A Units of Opco and 100 corresponding shares of our Class B common stock that comprise the sponsor shares.

Founder shares exchange and anti-dilution rights

 


We have outstanding 5,750,000 founder shares, which include shares of our Class B common stock and Class B Units of Opco (or the Class A Units of Opco into which such Class B Units will convert in connection with our initial business combination). The Class B Units of Opco will convert into Class A Units of Opco in connection with our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, subject to further adjustment and subject, in part, to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised as provided herein. The founder shares consist of Class B Units of Opco (and any Class A Units of Opco into which such Class B Units are converted) and a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock, which together will be exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock after the time of our initial business combination (as described above) on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of our Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of the initial business combination (other than the forward purchase securities), the number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco will convert may be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding founder shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that, after all founder shares have been exchanged for shares of our Class A common stock,

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the aggregate number of shares of our Class A common stock received by holders in exchange for founder shares would equal 20% of the sum of the total outstanding shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering plus all shares of our Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the business combination (excluding the forward purchase securities and any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and excluding the sponsor shares). In addition, the number of outstanding shares of our Class B common stock will be adjusted through a stock split or stock dividend so that the total number of outstanding shares of our Class B common stock corresponds to the total number of Class A Units of Opco outstanding (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) plus the total number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco are entitled to convert.

Voting

 

Holders of our Class A common stock and holders of our Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by law. Each share of common stock will have one vote on all such matters. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors.

Private placement warrants

 

Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 5,423,400 private placement warrants (or 5,963,400 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase for $11.50 one share of our Class A common stock or, in certain circumstances, one Class A Unit of Opco (and corresponding share of our Class B common stock) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($5,423,400 in the aggregate or $5,963,400 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Atlas Point Fund has also committed to purchase 602,600 private placement warrants (or 662,600 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($602,600 in the aggregate, or $662,600 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be available, in addition to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account, such that at the time of closing approximately $201 million (or approximately $231 million if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor, Atlas Point Fund or their permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor, Atlas Point Fund or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering and will only be exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock.

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Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants

 


The private placement warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until the date that is 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described below under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).

Cashless exercise of private placement warrants

 


If holders of private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of our Class A common stock or Class A Units of Opco (and corresponding shares of our Class B common stock) equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of our Class A common stock or Class A Units of Opco (and corresponding shares of our Class B 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 volume weighted average price of our Class A common stock as reported during the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor, Atlas Point Fund or their permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could sell the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants freely in the open market, the insiders could be significantly restricted from doing so. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.

Forward purchase agreement

 

We have entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which we may elect, in our sole and absolute discretion, to offer Atlas Point Fund, which is a fund managed by CIBC National Trust Company the opportunity to purchase up to $75,000,000 of either (i) a number of forward purchase units for $10.00 per unit or (ii) a number of forward purchase shares for $9.67 per share in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of our initial business combination. Whether we will issue Atlas Point Fund forward purchase units valued at $10.00 per unit or forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share will be determined at our election, and in our sole discretion, at least 10 business days prior to the closing of our initial business combination. Each whole forward purchase warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. The forward purchase agreement is subject to conditions, including Atlas Point Fund giving us its written consent to purchase the forward purchase securities no later than five days after we notify it of our intention to meet to consider entering into a definitive agreement for a proposed business combination. Atlas Point Fund may grant or withhold its consent to the purchase entirely within its sole discretion. Accordingly, if Atlas Point Fund does not consent to the purchase, it will not be obligated to purchase the forward purchase securities.

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The forward purchase warrants will have the same terms as the public warrants and the forward purchase shares will be identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except the forward purchase shares and the forward purchase warrants will be subject to transfer restrictions and certain registration rights and the forward purchase units will consist of only one-third of one forward purchase warrant.

   

The funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination, and any excess funds may be used for the working capital needs of the post-transaction company.

   

Additionally, pursuant to the terms of the forward purchase agreement, we have granted Atlas Point Fund the right to appoint a single observer to our board of directors until the consummation of our initial business combination. Such observer will not have voting rights or otherwise have any of the powers of a member of our board of directors and Atlas Point Fund will not have the right to appoint such observer at any time that Atlas Point Fund or any of Atlas Point Fund’s affiliates has the right to designate a director or observer to the board of directors of a special purchase acquisition company that is focused on an industry similar to that which we are focused.

Indications of Interest

 

Atlas Point Fund has indicated that it intends to purchase up to 9.9% of the units in this offering for a maximum of $25,000,000, but its indication of interest is not binding. There can be no assurance that Atlas Point Fund will acquire any units in this offering. To the extent that Atlas Point Fund purchases any units in this offering, Atlas Point Fund will forfeit all of its founder shares if it sells any units purchased in this offering prior to our initial business combination.

   

Affiliates of Rice Investment Group, including members of our management and owners of our sponsor, have also indicated interest in purchasing up to 7.5% of the units in this offering, although we cannot guarantee that such persons will ultimately acquire any units in this offering.

Proceeds to be held in trust account

 

The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. We will use the proceeds we receive from this offering to purchase Class A Units and warrants in Opco. Opco will deposit approximately $200 million, or $10.00 per unit (approximately $230 million, or $10.00 per unit, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), into a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and will use $6.0 million to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $7.0 million (or $8.1 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.

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Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to pay franchise and income tax obligations of the Company or Opco, the proceeds from this offering and a portion of proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or (c) the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) If we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders.

Anticipated expenses and funding sources

 

Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes from interest earned on the funds held in the trust account, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $0.5 million per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.25% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from:

•   the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1.0 million in working capital after the payment of approximately $1.0 million in expenses relating to this offering and approximately $4 million in underwriting discounts and commissions; and

•   any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination.

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Conditions to completing our initial business combination

 


There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. The NYSE rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination.

   

If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses or we are considering an initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm. Our stockholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.

   

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that we will control 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that we control less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, including, but not limited to, an Affiliated Joint Acquisition. However, we will only complete such business combination if we control 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise are not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if we control 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If we control less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that is controlled is what will be taken into account for purposes of the NYSE’s 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the transactions together as our initial business combination for seeking stockholder approval or for purposes of a tender offer, as applicable.

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Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates

 


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, Atlas Point Fund, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. 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. See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.

   

The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our 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 warrantholders 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 shares of our Class A common stock or our public 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.

   

There is no limit on the number of public shares and public warrants that our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers, directors or their affiliates may purchase pursuant to the transactions described above.

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Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination

 



We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.), subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions we will pay to the underwriters. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Pursuant to the Opco LLC Agreement and a letter agreement that our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers and directors have entered into with us, they have agreed that any founder shares and sponsor shares held by them will not be entitled to redemption rights, and they will waive any such redemption rights for any public shares held by them, in connection with the completion of our business combination. In connection with the redemption of any public shares, a corresponding number of Class A Units of Opco held by us will also be redeemed.

Limitations on redemptions

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, a greater net tangible asset or cash requirement may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of our Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of our Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.

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Manner of conducting redemptions

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval, while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons.

   

If we hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will:

•   conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and

•   file proxy materials with the SEC.

   

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of our common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote their founder shares, sponsor shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and sponsor shares, we would need 7,498,701, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.

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We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public stockholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target business, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public stockholders who elected to redeem their shares.

   

If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

•   conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and

•   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, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration.

   

Upon the public announcement of our business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.

   

In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.

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Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding 20% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold stockholder vote

 




Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our business combination.

Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our certificate of incorporation

 



Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain charter provisions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the election of directors, which require the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting) related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, or applicable stock exchange rules.

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Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the sponsor shares), 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. Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of our Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.), subject to the limitations described above under “Limitations on redemptions.” For example, our board of directors may propose such an amendment if it determines that additional time is necessary to complete our initial business combination. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, such an amendment would need to be approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 65% of all then outstanding shares of our common stock. In such event, we will conduct a proxy solicitation and distribute proxy materials pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act seeking stockholder approval of such proposal, and in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon stockholder approval of such amendment. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsors, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person. In connection with the redemption of any public shares, a corresponding number of Class A Units of Opco held by us will also be redeemed.

Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination

 


On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

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Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination

 



Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.), which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our business combination within the 24-month time period.

   

Pursuant to the Opco LLC Agreement and a letter agreement that our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers and directors have entered into with us, they have agreed that any founder shares are subject to forfeiture, and thus will not be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account, and they will waive any such rights to liquidating distributions for any founder shares, if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial stockholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares and the sponsor shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.

   

The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.).

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Audit Committee

 

We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which initially will be composed of a majority of independent directors and, within one year of the date of this offering, will be composed entirely of independent directors. Among its responsibilities, the audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, and monitor compliance with the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.”

Conflicts of Interest

 

Members of our sponsor, as well as Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies, may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If they decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities. Neither members of our sponsor nor members of our management team who are members of our sponsor have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, unless presented to such member solely in his or her capacity as an officer of the company. Members of our sponsor and our management, in their other endeavors, may be required to present potential business combinations to other entities, before they present such opportunities to us. See “Risk Factors— Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.”

   

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with or from a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, including a portfolio company of Rice Investment Group or from entering into an agreement with our sponsor, officers or directors or their affiliates with respect to the operation of any business we acquire in connection with the initial business combination. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

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In addition, members of our sponsor, as well as Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies, may sponsor other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination, and members of our management team (other than Mr. Rice and Mr. Derham) may participate in such blank check companies. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among the management teams. Each of Mr. Rice and Mr. Derham has agreed not to become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act, until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering. Neither Mr. Rice nor Mr. Derham has been involved with any blank check companies in the past.

Indemnity

 

Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or by a prospective target business with which we have entered into a letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay our taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not 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. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. None of our officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

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 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. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, 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 of This Offering to Those 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.”

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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 is presented.

 

September 3, 2020

   

Actual

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

 

 

Working capital (deficiency)

 

$

(151,965

)

Total assets

 

$

176,000

 

Total liabilities

 

$

151,965

 

Non-controlling interest in Opco

 

$

1,000

 

Stockholder’s equity

 

$

24,035

 

If no business combination is completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering, 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 pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.). Pursuant to the Opco LLC Agreement and a letter agreement that our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers and directors have entered into with us, they have agreed that any founder shares are subject to forfeiture, and thus will not be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account and they will waive any such rights to liquidating distributions for any founder shares, if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such 24 month time period.

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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.

We are a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We are a newly formed company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. 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 a business combination and may be unable to complete our business combination. If we fail to complete our business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

Past performance by the Rice family, Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies and our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company. In addition, none of our officers or directors have served as a sponsor, director or officer of any blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past.

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, the Rice family, Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies and our management team is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by the Rice family, Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies or our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical record of the Rice family, Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies or our management team as indicative of our future performance or of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. In addition, none of our officers or directors have served as a sponsor, director or officer of any blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past.

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

We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination if the business combination would not require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business —Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.

In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial business combination, our management may consider the availability of funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities, which may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination. If Atlas Point Fund decides not to accept our offer to purchase the forward purchase securities, we may decide not to consummate our initial business combination, or if we decide to, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.

We have entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which Atlas Point Fund, which is a fund managed by CIBC National Trust but is not affiliated with us or our sponsor, agreed to purchase up to $75,000,000 of either (i) a number of forward purchase units for $10.00 per unit or (ii) a number of forward purchase shares for $9.67 per share, in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of our initial business

35

combination. Whether we will issue Atlas Point Fund forward purchase units valued at $10.00 per unit or forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share will be determined at our election, and in our sole discretion, at least 10 business days prior to the closing of our initial business combination. The funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities are expected to be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in our initial business combination, and to pay expenses in connection with our initial business combination and may be used for working capital in the post-transaction company.

The obligations under the forward purchase agreement will not depend on whether any public stockholders elect to redeem their shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, if the sale of the forward purchase securities does not close, for example, by reason of the failure of Atlas Point Fund to fund the purchase price for its forward purchase securities, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination. Atlas Point Fund’s obligation to purchase the forward purchase securities will, among other things, be conditioned on Atlas Point Fund giving us its irrevocable written consent to purchase the forward purchase securities no later than five days after we notify it of our intention to meet to consider entering into a definitive agreement for a proposed business combination and on a requirement that such initial business combination is approved by a majority of our board and a majority of the independent directors of our board. Accordingly, if Atlas Point Fund does not consent to the purchase, or if the initial business combination is not approved by a majority of our board and a majority of the independent directors of our board, Atlas Point Fund would not be obligated to purchase any forward purchase securities.

Additionally, Atlas Point Fund’s obligations to purchase the forward purchase securities will be subject to termination prior to the closing of the sale of such securities by mutual written consent of us and Atlas Point Fund, or automatically: (i) if this offering is not consummated on or prior to March 30, 2021, (ii) if our initial business combination is not consummated within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (iii) if we become subject to any voluntary or involuntary petition under the United States federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law, in each case which is not withdrawn within 60 days after being filed, or a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer is appointed by a court for business or property of us or Atlas Point Fund, in each case which is not removed, withdrawn or terminated within 60 days after such appointment. In addition, Atlas Point Fund’s obligations to purchase the forward purchase securities will be subject to fulfillment of customary closing conditions, including that our initial business combination must be consummated substantially concurrently with the purchase of the forward purchase securities. If Atlas Point Fund decides not to accept our offer to purchase the forward purchase securities, we may decide not to consummate our initial business combination, or if we decide to, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.

At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

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

Our initial stockholders will own 20% of our shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the sponsor shares). Our initial stockholders and management team also may from time to time purchase shares of our Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares and sponsor shares. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and sponsor shares, we would need

36

7,498,701, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.

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

We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 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). Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.

If our business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.

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The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

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

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic”. The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted, and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread health crisis that has adversely affected, in the case of COVID-19, and could adversely affect, in the case of future outbreaks of infectious diseases, the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Furthermore, the impact of COVID-19 may increase the other risks identified herein.

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the 24 months after the closing of this offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein including the impact of COVID-19. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco (less up to $100,000

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of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.), which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public stockholders or public warrantholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of shares our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of the NYSE. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions.

In the event that our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. 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 warrantholders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent the purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.

In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

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

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

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the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business — Business Strategy — Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”

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

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with our completion of an initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) if we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

The NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A common stock and warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NYSE listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 round lot holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our aggregate market value would be required to be at least $100,000,000, and the market value of our publicly-held shares would be required to be at least $80,000,000. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

If the NYSE delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

•        a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

•        reduced liquidity for our securities;

•        a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;

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•        a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

•        a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the state of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

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

Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will 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 business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business —Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”

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 20% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 20% of our Class A common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

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Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources 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 warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination, in conjunction with a stockholder vote or via a tender offer. Target businesses will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed 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 do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

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If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco 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 warrants, only approximately $1,000,000 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 $1,000,000, 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. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $1,000,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or we may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive an estimated $10.00 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, 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 $10.00 per share” and other risk factors below.

Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues in relation to a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

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The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

     The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we do not complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we do not complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue.

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we do not complete our business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the

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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 sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.

While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

If after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.

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

If before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our stockholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our stockholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.

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

If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:

•        restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

•        restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our business combination.

In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:

•        registration as an investment company;

•        adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

•        reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. 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 approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering; or (iii) the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination, or may result in our liquidation. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements and numerous complex tax laws. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly.

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Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.

Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of 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 24th month from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our 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 24 months from the closing of this offering is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

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

In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus, we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

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We are not registering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.

We are not registering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file a registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of shares of Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best 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 the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws, and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of our Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

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

Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the shares of our Class A common stock into which founder shares and sponsor shares are exchangeable, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants and the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants or upon exchange of any Class A Units of Opco issued upon exercise of the private placement warrants and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants or upon exchange of any Class A Units of Opco issued upon exercise of such warrants. Assuming the founder shares and sponsor shares are exchanged on a one for one basis and no warrants are issued upon conversion of working capital loans, an aggregate of up to 5,002,600 shares of our Class A common stock and up to 6,026,000 warrants (or up to 5,752,600 shares of our Class A common stock and up to 6,626,000 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) are subject to registration under these agreements. 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

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of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our private placement warrants, holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.

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

We may seek acquisition opportunities outside of our target industries or sectors (which industries or sectors may or may not be outside of our management’s areas of expertise).

Although we intend to focus on identifying business combination candidates in the broad energy transition or sustainability arena that may advance the objectives of global decarbonization, we will consider a business combination outside of our target industries or sectors if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate in our target industries or sectors after having expended a reasonable amount of time and effort in an attempt to do so. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of our target industries or sectors, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding our target industries or sectors would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

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Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

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

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues, cash flows or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues, cash flows or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm. However, our stockholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion, nor will they be able to rely on such opinion.

We may issue additional shares of our Class A common stock, preferred stock or Opco Units (and a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock) to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. The number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco will convert may be adjusted after the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 undesignated shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 179,997,500 and 14,999,900 (assuming, in each case, that the

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underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account shares of our Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants, or shares issuable upon exchange of founder shares or other Class A Units of Opco (and corresponding shares of our Class B common stock). Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. The Class A Units of Opco (and corresponding shares of our Class B common stock) are exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein.

We may issue a substantial number of additional Opco Units (and corresponding shares of our Class B common stock), shares of our Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue additional shares of our Class A common stock upon exchange of the founder shares, as a result of adjustments to the number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco will convert after the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.

The issuance of additional Opco Units (and corresponding shares of our Class B common stock), shares of Class A common stock 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 in control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and

•        may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants.

Unlike some other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional Class A Units of Opco if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.

The founder shares consist of Class B Units of Opco (and any Class A Units of Opco into which such Class B Units are converted) and a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock, which together will be exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock after the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of our Class A common stock or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for shares of our Class A common stock are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination (other than the forward purchase securities), the number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco will convert may be adjusted so that, after all founder shares have been exchanged for shares of our Class A common stock, the aggregate number of shares of our Class A common stock received by holders in exchange for founder shares would equal 20% of our total outstanding common stock upon completion of this offering plus the number of shares of our Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any shares of our Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination, and excluding the sponsor shares. In addition, the number of outstanding shares of our Class B common stock will be adjusted through a stock split or stock dividend so that the total number of outstanding shares of our Class B common stock corresponds to the total number of Class A Units of Opco outstanding (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) plus the total number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco are entitled to convert.

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Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We are dependent upon our officers and directors, and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.

Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

Our ability to successfully effect our business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.

In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

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

Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

Our current officers may not remain in their positions following our business combination. We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials (as applicable) relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.

Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Directors and Officers.”

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Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

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 sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies. Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties.

Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

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 “Management — Directors and Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.

We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so, or we may acquire a target business through an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with one or more affiliates of our sponsor, including Rice Investment Group and/or one or more of its portfolio companies. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

In particular, members of our sponsor and its affiliates, including Rice Investment Group and its portfolio companies, are focused on investments in the energy industry. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such affiliates.

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

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders, including one or more portfolio companies of Rice Investment Group. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” They may also have investments in target businesses. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting our Initial Business Combination — Selection of a Target Business

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and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our obligation to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

Moreover, we may pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with one or more affiliates of our sponsor, including Rice Investment Group and/or one or more of its portfolio companies. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to sponsor shares and public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

In September 2020, our sponsor received founder shares comprised of an aggregate of 5,750,000 Class B Units of Opco and 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock, as well as the sponsor shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the total outstanding equity after this offering (excluding the sponsor shares and any shares issuable upon exercise of any warrants). Our sponsor will forfeit up to 750,000 founder shares depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. In October, 2020 our sponsor forfeited 90,000 Class B Units of Opco, and 30,000 Class B Units of Opco were issued to each of our independent director nominees for no consideration. Our sponsor transferred a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock to our independent director nominees. Upon the closing of this offering, our sponsor will forfeit 287,500 Class B Units of Opco, and 287,500 Class B Units of Opco will be issued to Atlas Point Fund. Our sponsor will transfer a corresponding number of shares of our Class B common stock to Atlas Point Fund. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 5,423,400 private placement warrants (or 5,963,400 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase for $11.50 either one share of our Class A common stock or, in certain circumstances, one Class A Unit of Opco (and corresponding share of our Class B common stock) for an aggregate purchase price of $5,423,400 (or $5,963,400 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.00 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. Atlas Point Fund has also committed to purchase 602,600 private placement warrants (or 662,600 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($602,600 in the aggregate, or $662,600 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). The founder shares are substantially similar to the shares of our Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination, they include Units in Opco that will be exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock after the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein, and in certain limited circumstances the Class B Units of Opco will have more limited rights to current or liquidating distributions from us. However, the holders have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares or sponsor shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. 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 business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following our initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the 24-month anniversary of the closing of this offering nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.

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We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

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

•        acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

•        our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;

•        our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;

•        our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

•        using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions and fund other general corporate purposes;

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

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

•        limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and

•        other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

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

Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, up to approximately $201 million (or up to approximately $231 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes $7.0 million, or up to approximately $8.1 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for payment of deferred underwriting discounts and commissions). Of the up to approximately $201.0 million (or up to approximately $231.0 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), approximately $1.0 million will be held outside the trust account for business, legal and accounting due diligence on prospective acquisitions and continuing general and administrative expenses.

We may effectuate our business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis.

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By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

•        solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or

•        dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our business combination.

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

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

In pursuing our business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.

We may structure a business combination so that we will control less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if we control 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise are not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if we control 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.

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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 a 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 in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of our Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of our Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

The exercise price for the public warrants is higher than in some other blank check company offerings, and accordingly, the warrants are more likely to expire worthless.

The exercise price of the public warrants is higher than in some other blank check companies. For example, historically, the exercise price of a warrant was often a fraction of the purchase price of the units in the initial public offering. The exercise price for our public warrants is $11.50 per share, subject to adjustments as provided herein. As a result, the warrants are less likely to ever be in the money and more likely to expire worthless.

In order to effectuate our initial business combination, we may seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or other governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination but that our stockholders or warrantholders may not support.

In order to effectuate a business combination, we may amend various provisions of our charter and governing instruments, including the warrant agreement, the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers and directors, and the registration rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders. These agreements contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Except in relation to the charter, any such amendments would not require approval from our stockholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or other governing instruments or change our industry focus in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.

Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the election of directors, which require the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting) related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the

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private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of the total outstanding common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the sponsor shares), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, 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 that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of our Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to pay franchise and income taxes of the Company or Opco, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.). These agreements are contained in a letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, that we have entered into with our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers, directors and director nominees. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the forward purchase securities will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the forward purchase securities 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 redeem 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, or if Atlas Point Fund decides not to exercise its right to purchase all of the forward purchase securities, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our business combination.

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Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own shares representing 20% of our shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering and excluding the sponsor shares). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. 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 Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting to elect new directors prior to the completion of our business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our business combination. The forward purchase securities will not be issued until completion of our initial business combination, and, accordingly, will not be included in any stockholder vote until such time.

Our sponsor was issued Class B Units of Opco for no consideration and paid an aggregate of $26,000 for the corresponding shares of our Class B common stock and the sponsor shares, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A common stock to the benefit of our sponsor and certain of our directors and officers.

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired its initial investment for a small amount, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 91.8% (or $9.18 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering of $0.82 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in an increase in the number of Class A Units of Opco into which the Class B Units of Opco will convert after the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock. Moreover, although we are of the view that our sponsor, directors and officers paid fair value for their initial investment (or, in the case of the Class B Units of Opco, that such units were ascribed no value), there is no assurance that a taxing authority would agree with us, and if a taxing authority were to successfully assert otherwise, we may be subject to material withholding and other tax liabilities that could adversely affect our financial condition.

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We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the warrant could be converted into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision or mistake (including to conform the terms of the warrants to those described herein), but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants and 50% of the registered holders of the private warrants to make any change to the terms of the private warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the sponsor, Atlas Point Fund or their permitted transferees.

In addition, we may redeem your warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of shares of our Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A common stock. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” Any such redemption may have similar consequences to a cash redemption described above. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying stock price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants because the number of shares of Class A common stock received is capped at 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.

Our ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis after we call the warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants will cause holders to receive fewer shares of our Class A common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to pay the exercise price of their warrants in cash.

If the shares of our Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that the shares of our Class A common stock satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(I) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise

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their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will be required to use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. “Cashless exercise” means the warrant holder pays the exercise price by giving up some of the shares for which the warrant is being exercised, with those shares valued at the then current market price. Accordingly, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of our Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of our Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean volume weighted average price of our Class A common stock as reported during 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.

In addition, if a registration statement covering the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrantholders 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, For purposes of calculating the number of shares issuable upon such cashless exercise, the “fair market value” of warrants shall be calculated using the volume weighted average sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.

If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, which we may do at our sole discretion, or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, the number of shares of our Class A common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the shares of our Class A common stock have a fair market value per share of $17.50 per share, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 shares of our Class A common stock. The holder would have received 875 shares of our Class A common stock if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of shares of our Class A common stock upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.

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

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 10,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 11,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in private placements an aggregate of 6,026,000 private placement warrants (or up to 6,626,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase for $11.50 either one share of our Class A common stock or, in certain circumstances, one Class A Unit of Opco (and corresponding share of our Class B common stock). In addition, we may issue up to approximately 7.8 million shares of Class A common stock to Atlas Point Fund in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the forward purchase agreement. The founder shares are exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and subject to further adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,000,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. To the extent we issue shares of our Class A common stock to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of our Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants and exchange rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of our Class A common stock issued to complete the business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

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Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.

Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole warrants will trade. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

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

If we issue additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities or 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, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to equal 115% of the newly issued price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

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. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.

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, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A 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 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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Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

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

We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (i) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter or (ii) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

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

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome for us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A common stock and could entrench management.

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

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions (other than actions arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act) may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware (or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court located in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction) and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing such suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. This provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us and our directors, officers or other employees and may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.

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If we pursue a target business with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:

•        higher costs, complexity and difficulties inherent in executing cross-border transactions, managing cross-border business operations, and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;

•        rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

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

•        exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;

•        tariffs and trade barriers;

•        regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

•        local or regional economic policies and market conditions;

•        unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;

•        longer payment cycles;

•        tax issues, including limits on our ability to change our tax residence from the United States, complex withholding or other tax regimes which may apply in connection with our business combination or to our structure following our business combination, variations in tax laws as compared to the United States, and potential changes in the applicable tax laws in the United States and/or relevant non-U.S. jurisdictions;

•        currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

•        rates of inflation;

•        challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

•        cultural and language differences;

•        employment regulations;

•        underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;

•        corruption;

•        protection of intellectual property;

•        social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;

•        regime changes and political upheaval;

•        terrorist attacks and wars; and

•        deterioration of political relations with the United States.

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We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our stockholders and warrantholders. As a result of our 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 business combination in a manner that requires stockholders and/or warrantholders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrantholders to pay taxes in connection with our 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 a 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 warrantholders may be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.

In addition, we may effect a 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 a 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.

Our organizational structure confers certain benefits upon our initial stockholders that will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent as it will benefit our initial stockholders.

We are a holding company and will not have material assets other than our ownership of Opco Units. Subject to the obligation of Opco to make tax distributions and to reimburse us for our corporate and other overhead expenses, we will have the right to determine whether to cause Opco to make non-liquidating distributions, and the amount of any such distributions. We do not anticipate causing Opco to make any such distributions (other than tax distributions) to holders of Opco Units (including Rice Acquisition Corp.) prior to our initial business combination, other than required redemptions of Class A Units of Opco held by us in connection with a redemption of public shares. If Opco makes distributions after our initial business combination, the initial stockholders will be entitled to receive equivalent distributions from Opco on a pro rata basis. However, because we must pay taxes, amounts we may distribute as dividends to holders of our Class A common stock are expected to be less on a per share basis than the amounts distributed by Opco to the initial stockholders on a per unit basis.

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, which could lead to various regulatory issues.

Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the 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 United States 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 which may adversely affect our operations.

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After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.

The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.

Exchange rate fluctuations and 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, and 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 non-U.S. regions fluctuates and is 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.

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

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

•        our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

•        our ability to complete our initial business combination;

•        our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;

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

•        our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;

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

•        our pool of prospective target businesses;

•        our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or other significant outbreaks of infectious diseases);

•        the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential acquisition opportunities;

•        our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

•        the lack of a market for our securities;

•        the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;

•        the proceeds from the sale of the forward purchase securities being available to us;

•        the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or

•        our financial performance following this offering.

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

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Use of Proceeds

We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds received from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.

 

Without
Over-Allotment
Option

 

Over-Allotment
Option Fully
Exercised

Estimated Gross proceeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)

 

$

200,000,000

 

 

$

230,000,000

 

Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement(2)

 

 

6,026,000

 

 

 

6,626,000

 

Total gross proceeds

 

$

206,026,000

 

 

$

236,626,000

 

Offering expenses(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underwriting discounts and commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(4)

 

$

4,000,000

 

 

$

4,600,000

 

Legal fees and expenses

 

 

350,000

 

 

 

350,000

 

Printing and engraving expenses

 

 

60,000

 

 

 

60,000

 

Accounting fees and expenses

 

 

45,000

 

 

 

45,000

 

SEC/FINRA Expenses

 

 

60,093

 

 

 

60,093

 

Travel and road show

 

 

20,000

 

 

 

20,000

 

NYSE listing and filing fees

 

 

85,000

 

 

 

85,000

 

Director and Officer liability insurance premiums

 

 

300,000

 

 

 

300,000

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

79,907

 

 

 

79,907

 

Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions)

 

$

1,000,000

 

 

$

1,000,000

 

Proceeds after offering expenses

 

$

201,026,000

 

 

$

231,026,000

 

Held in trust account(1)(4)

 

$

200,026,000

 

 

$

230,026,000

 

% of public offering size

 

 

100

%

 

 

100

%

Not held in trust account

 

$

1,000,000

 

 

$

1,000,000

 

The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,000,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account(5).

 

Amount

 

% of Total

Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6)

 

$

400,000

 

40.0

%

Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations

 

 

100,000

 

10.0

%

Payment for office space, administrative and support services

 

 

240,000

 

24.0

%

Reserve for liquidation expenses

 

 

100,000

 

10.0

%

NYSE continued listing fees

 

 

85,000

 

8.5

%

Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income)

 

 

75,000

 

7.5

%

Total

 

$

1,000,000

 

100.0

%

____________

(1)      Includes amounts payable to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.

(2)      Includes proceeds from purchase of private placement warrants by Atlas Point Fund pursuant to the forward purchase agreement.

(3)      A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,000,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting discounts and commissions) and which is not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account.

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(4)      The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting discounts and commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred underwriting discounts and commissions (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.

(5)      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 business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $500,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.25% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.

(6)      Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing.

The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. We will use the net proceeds of this offering to purchase Class A Units and warrants of Opco. Opco will deposit $200,026,000 (or $230,026,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), of which $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) may be required to pay deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, into a U.S. based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will use $6,026,000 (or $6,626,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $500,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.25% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to pay franchise and income tax obligations of the Company or Opco, the proceeds from this offering and the portion of the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants deposited in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of (a) the completion of our initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (c) the redemption of our public shares and any Class A Units of Opco (other than those held by Rice Acquisition Corp.) if we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Based on current interest rates, we expect that the interest earned on the trust account, net of income taxes, will be sufficient to pay Delaware franchise taxes of the Company or Opco.

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 business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial

71

business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.

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 a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

We will reimburse our sponsor for office space, utilities, secretarial support and administrative services provided to members of our management team, in an amount equal to $10,000 per month. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering as part of the estimated $1,000,000 of offering expenses.

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. 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. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

We have entered into a forward purchase agreement pursuant to which we may elect, in our sole and absolute discretion, to offer Atlas Point Fund, which is a fund managed by CIBC National Trust Company the opportunity to purchase up to $75,000,000 of either (i) a number of forward purchase units for $10.00 per unit or (ii) a number of forward purchase shares for $9.67 per share in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of our initial business combination. Whether we will issue Atlas Point Fund forward purchase units valued at $10.00 per unit or forward purchase shares valued at $9.67 per share will be determined at our election, and in our sole discretion, at least 10 business days prior to the closing of our initial business combination. Each whole forward purchase warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. The forward purchase warrants will have the same terms as the public warrants and the forward purchase shares will be identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except the forward purchase shares and the forward purchase warrants will be subject to transfer restrictions and certain registration rights and the forward purchase units will consist of only one-third of one forward purchase warrant. The funds from the sale of the forward purchase securities may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination, and any excess funds may be used for the working capital needs of the post-transaction company. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The forward purchase agreement is subject to conditions, including Atlas Point Fund giving us its written consent to purchase the forward purchase securities no later than five days after we notify it of our intention to meet to consider entering into a definitive

72

agreement for a proposed business combination. Atlas Point Fund may grant or withhold its consent to the purchase entirely within its sole discretion. Accordingly, if Atlas Point Fund does not consent to the purchase, it will not be obligated to purchase the forward purchase securities.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, Atlas Point Fund, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions 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 their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the rules of the NYSE. 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. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information; and (2) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.

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 transac