S-1 1 dp145243_s1.htm FORM S-1

 

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on February 3, 2021.

 

Registration No. 333-  

 

UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

Figure Acquisition Corp. I

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware     6770     85-4326385

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

   

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

   

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number) 

 

650 California Street, Suite 2700  

San Francisco, CA 94108  

Tel: (628) 210-6937

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

 

Christopher D. Davies 

Chief Executive Officer 

650 California Street, Suite 2700

San Francisco, CA 94108

Tel: (628) 210-6937

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

 

Copies to:

 

Derek J. Dostal

Deanna L. Kirkpatrick

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

450 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Tel: (212) 450-4000

   

Frank Lopez
Jonathan Ko
Paul Hastings LLP
200 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10166

Tel: (212) 318-6800

 

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, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

 

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

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a 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
                  Emerging growth company

 

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

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of

Security Being Registered

   

Amount Being

Registered

   

Proposed Maximum

Offering Price per

Security(1)

   

Proposed Maximum

Aggregate Offering

Price(1)

   

Amount of

Registration Fee

Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.01 par value, and one-third of one redeemable warrant(2)     28,750,000 Units     $10.00     $287,500,000     $31,367
Shares of Class A common stock included as part of the Units(3)     28,750,000 Shares     -     -     -(4)
Redeemable warrants included as part of the Units(3)     9,583,333 Warrants     -     -     -(4)
Total                 $287,500,000     $31,367
(1) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.
(2) Includes 3,750,000 units, consisting of 3,750,000 shares of Class A common stock and 1,250,000 redeemable warrants, that may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriter to cover over-allotments, if any.
(3) Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
(4) No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) under 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 in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the U.S. 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 FEBRUARY 3, 2021

 

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

$250,000,000

Figure Acquisition Corp. I

25,000,000 Units

 

Figure Acquisition Corp. I 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 as our initial business combination. We have not 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.

 

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-third of one redeemable 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 herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 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. The underwriter has a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

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

 

Our sponsor, Fintech Acquisition LLC, has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,666,667 warrants (or 5,166,667 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate, or $7,750,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, in a private placement that will close concurrently with the closing of this offering. We refer to these warrants as the private placement warrants.

 

Our initial stockholders, which include our sponsor, own an aggregate of 3,194,444 shares of our Class B common stock (up to 416,667 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination as described herein. Only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination.

 

Our sponsor also owns 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock (up to 1,190,476 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). Our Class L common stock are non-voting and will convert into shares of Class A common stock after our initial business combination only to the extent certain triggering events occur prior to the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination, including four equal triggering events based on our stock trading at $12.50, $15.00, $17.50 and $20.00 per share following the closing of our initial business combination and also upon specified strategic transactions, in each case, as described in this prospectus. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all shares of Class L common stock that are issued and outstanding on the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination will be automatically forfeited.

 

Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We have applied to list our units on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), under the symbol “FACA.U.” We expect that our units will begin trading on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the underwriter informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions. 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 “FACA” and “FACA WS,” respectively.

 

We are an “emerging growth company” and “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 43 of this prospectus 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.

 

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (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.

 

   Per Unit  Total
Public offering price  $10.00   $250,000,000 
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)  $0.55   $13,750,000 
Proceeds, before expenses, to Figure Acquisition Corp. I  $9.45   $236,250,000 

 

(1) Includes $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions that will be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriter only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriter in connection with this offering. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriter.

 

Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $250,000,000, or $287,500,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2,000,000 will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. 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.

 

The underwriter is offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriter expects to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about         , 2021.

 

Sole-Bookrunner

Citigroup

 

Co-Manager

Piper Sandler

, 2021

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Summary     1
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary     42
Risk Factors     43
Use of Proceeds     80
Dividend Policy     84
Dilution     85
Capitalization     86
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations     88
Proposed Business     93
Management     120
Principal Stockholders     128
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions     131
Description of Securities     134
U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations     154
Underwriting     162
Legal Matters     169
Experts     169
Where You Can Find Additional Information     169
Index to Financial Statements     F-1

 

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the underwriters take any 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.

 

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SUMMARY

 

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under the section of this prospectus entitled “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:

 

“Class L common stock” are to 9,126,984 shares of our Class L common stock (of which 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option) and the Class A common stock that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class L common stock only to the extent certain triggering events occur prior to the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination, including specified strategic transactions and other triggering events based on our stock trading at $12.50, $15.00, $17.50 and $20.00 per share following the closing of our initial business combination, in each case, as described in this prospectus (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of Class L common stock will not be "public shares");
   
“common stock” are to our Class A common stock, our Class B common stock and our Class L common stock, collectively;

 

“directors” are to our current directors and our director nominees named in this prospectus;

 

“Ellington” are to Ellington Management Group, L.L.C. or an affiliate thereof which indirectly holds a portion of our founder shares, Class L common stock and private placement warrants;

 

“Figure Technologies” or “Figure” are to Figure Technologies, Inc., which is an affiliate of our sponsor;

 

“founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock owned by our sponsor and our other initial stockholders prior to this offering, and the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of Class A common stock will not be “public shares”);

 

“initial stockholders” are to our sponsor and any other holders of founder shares and Class L common stock prior to this offering (or their permitted transferees);

 

“management” or our “management team” are to our officers;

 

“private placement warrants” are to the warrants to be issued to our sponsor in a private placement concurrently 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);

 

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

 

“public warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market), to the private placement warrants if held by third parties other than our sponsor (or its permitted transferees), and to any private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans that are sold to third parties that are not initial purchasers or members of our management team (or permitted transferees);

 

“sponsor” are to our sponsor, Fintech Acquisition LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;

 

“warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which include the public warrants and the private placement warrants; and

 

“we,” “us,” “company,” “our” or “our company” are to Figure Acquisition Corp. I

 

Each unit consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable 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. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.

 

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

 

 

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General

 

We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation 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 business combination target.

 

We are sponsored by Fintech Acquisition LLC, which is an affiliate of Figure Technologies, Inc. Figure is a technology company offering financial solutions leveraging blockchain, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics. Figure serves both individuals and institutions with products spanning home improvement, debt consolidation, retirement, capital table management, and fund services. Established in 2018 in San Francisco, California, Figure has raised over $220 million in funding from leading early stage and corporate venture investors including Ribbit Management, the Partners at DST Global, RPM Ventures, Nimble Ventures and Morgan Creek, among others. In addition, Ellington Management Group, LLC owns a significant economic interest in Fintech Acquisition LLC and has the right to designate a director for election to our board of directors. Ellington is an alternative investment adviser which manages assets across funds and accounts spanning diversified credit, mortgages and related markets.

 

We intend to leverage the deep relationships and diverse industry knowledge of our sponsor, management team and Ellington in order to pursue exceptional opportunities in the financial technology and financial services sector. Our team’s extensive operating, investing, and industry experience will be critical to identify, negotiate, and structure a strong transaction. We seek to acquire a business that has already achieved significant scale but stands to benefit from the application of Figure’s proprietary technology to drive growth and operating improvements. In particular, we seek to acquire a business that can benefit from leveraging Figure’s technology platform built on Provenance blockchain (the “Figure Provenance Platform”).

 

Provenance blockchain is a blockchain with demonstrated value optimizing asset origination, asset financing, asset sales, securitization, investment fund services, banking, and payments. In the context of securitization, the Figure Provenance Platform and Provenance blockchain supported the first securitization backed by loans originated, serviced, financed, and sold entirely on the blockchain. The aggregate benefit to all parties of this securitization (e.g., originator, sponsor, servicer, loan buyer) totaled over 100 basis points in reduced costs, representing potential savings of over $30 billion to the $3 trillion annual securitization market. We feel that making the Figure Provenance Platform available to an acquisition target may make our offering more attractive and offer immediate financial market benefit.

 

We may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry, sector, or geographic region, but intend to concentrate efforts on businesses in the financial technology and financial services sector including, but not limited to, services and technology businesses that provide support to the financial services sector. Given the depth and diversity of our network and the experience of our management team, target market segments span family-owned businesses, corporate carve-outs, private equity-owned businesses and venture capital-based business.

 

Management Team

 

We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive business combination opportunities with high growth potential, strong value propositions, and compelling competitive positions. Our Chairman and President have decades of experience investing in, launching, and growing leading companies in the financial technology and financial services sector, while our Chief Executive Officer brings 30+ years of experience as a senior executive in the financial services and mortgage banking business. Our objective is to generate attractive returns for our shareholders and enhance value through technology and operational improvements to organically or inorganically grow the business we acquire.

 

Michael Cagney will serve as our Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Cagney has been a member of the Board of Directors of Figure and has served as Figure’s CEO since its inception in March 2018. From 2011 to 2017, Mr. Cagney was CEO and Chairman of the Board of SoFi, a technology and financial services company. From 2006 to 2016, Mr. Cagney served as Managing Partner of Cabezon Investment Group, a hedge fund manager. From 2010 to 2016, Mr. Cagney served as Chairman of ReFlow, a technology and financial services company. Mr. Cagney has a BA, Economics (1993) and a MS, Applied Economics and Finance (1994) from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a MS, Management (2011) from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

 

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Christopher D. Davies will serve as our Chief Executive Officer and a Director. Mr. Davies is currently the Head of Lending for Figure. Previously, he served as Head of Global Mort-gage and CEO of CitiMortgage at Citibank, where he was responsible for mortgage sales and fulfillment across the North America, Capital Markets, International Mortgages and Corp Holdings divisions, a role he left in October 2019. Mr. Davies joined Citi in March 2014 as Head of Mortgage Originations in North America and of Corp Holdings. Prior to joining Citi, Mr. Davies held a number of executive positions at leading financial institutions. From 2012 through 2014, he served as CEO of QBE First, a commercial and personal insurance company. Mr. Davies also served as President of Capital One Home Loans (2009-2012), where he built a stand-alone mortgage servicing operation and managed a $50 billion servicing and as-set portfolio. From 2007 through 2009, Mr. Davies was the CEO and Vice Chairman of LendingTree where he provided strategic direction for all aspects of the country’s leading online lending exchange. Before joining Lending Tree, Mr. Davies had an extensive career at Wachovia (1988-2006), where he served most recently as CEO of Wachovia Mortgage Corp. He has served as an Executive Board member for Clemson University Business School and an OCC expert speaker on mortgage industry best practices for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He holds a B.S. in Financial Management from Clemson University.

 

Asiff Hirji will serve as our President. Mr. Hirji is the President of Figure, where he runs the company and is focused on scaling the core lending and banking businesses, expanding internationally and launching new products. Mr. Hirji was formerly President & Chief Operating Officer of Coinbase, the world’s leading crypto currency company. Prior to Coinbase, he was an investor and advisor in the private equity and venture capital spaces, including as an operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz focusing on scaling portfolio companies, and as a Senior Advisor with Bain Capital and Advent International, helping to drive their technology investment efforts. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Hirji was Chief Restructuring Officer of HP reporting to CEO Meg Whitman, where he led a global $14 billion, 90,000 employee business serving most of the Fortune 500 companies. From 2007 to 2013, Mr. Hirji was a Partner with TPG Capital, where he helped lead investing efforts in Financial Services, Technology, Media and E-commerce. From 2003 to 2007, Mr. Hirji was an executive officer of TD Ameritrade, where he served successively as CIO, COO, and then President, helping to build the company into the world’s largest online broker. Prior to TD Ameritrade, Mr. Hirji was a Partner at Bain & Co. and a leader of their IT and Financial Services practices. Before Bain, Mr. Hirji was President and Chief Technology Officer for Netfolio, an online investment advisor start-up. He was also a founding member and Partner of the Mitchell Madison Group, a global strategic consultancy that specializes in Financial Services and Technology. Mr. Hirji also serves on the boards of Nubank and Forge, is a former public board member of Advent Software and Citrix Systems Inc., and served on the boards of Saxo Bank, TES Global, RentPath, and Eze Software. Mr. Hirji has also taught a highly rated MBA course on Private Equity at the University of Berkeley’s, Haas School of Business, where he now guest lectures. Mr. Hirji began his career at IBM Labs as a software engineer. Mr. Hirji received an MBA with honors from the University of Western Ontario, and his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Calgary.

 

Thomas J. Milani will serve as our Chief Financial Officer. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Figure, and has been with the company since its inception in January 2018. At Figure, Mr. Milani heads up finance, accounting, capital markets and treasury management. Previously, Mr. Milani was employed by SoFi from 2016 to 2018 where he headed up the New Products Group. He also led the acquisition of ZenBanx, Inc., which facilitated SoFi’s entry into the digital banking space. Prior to SoFi, Mr. Milani was an investment professional at Apollo Global Management from 2015 to 2016. At Apollo, Mr. Milani focused on corporate strategy as well as investing in assets and companies in the lending, specialty finance and financial technology space. Prior to Apollo, Mr. Milani was an investment banker at Sandler O’Neill and BMO Capital Markets covering the financial institutions space. In these roles, Mr. Milani advised on mergers & acquisitions and raised equity and debt capital for companies including specialty lenders, financial technology companies, exchanges, depositories, insurance companies and asset managers. Mr. Milani graduated from Villanova University in 2011 with a Bachelors in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our objective is to generate attractive returns for our shareholders by identifying and completing a business combination with a high quality target at an attractive valuation relative to public market peers. We will seek target companies that demonstrate the characteristics consistent with “Our Acquisition Criteria” below. To achieve a successful initial business combination our management team and board of directors will leverage their financial, operational, and industry experience to identify a company with a compelling value proposition and superior operating results. We expect to differentiate ourselves through our:

 

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·            experience operating financial technology and financial services companies including developing and changing de-novo strategies and identifying unique applications for technology,

 

·            developing and growing companies with a successful track record transforming and scaling financial businesses through technology, brand and cross-sell,

 

·            ability to leverage our extensive network of financial services professionals and financial technology founders/CEOs, as well as investors spanning the public equity, private equity, and venture ecosystems, to facilitate sourcing, structuring, acquiring, and selling businesses,

 

·            decades of collective investing and M&A experience within the context of the financial technology and financial services sector,

 

·            capacity to leverage proven and scaled blockchain platform which drives operational, technological and marketing improvements to maximize the growth potential of businesses, and

 

·            connectivity with the capital markets, including financing businesses and sourcing appropriate takeout capital for financial products.

 

Following completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with their network of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target company and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.

 

Acquisition Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we expect to identify companies that have compelling growth potential and a combination of the following characteristics. 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 business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We will seek to acquire companies that have one or more of the following characteristics:

 

               Value Enhancement from Figure Technology Capabilities: Business where our proprietary technology and the collective capabilities of our management board members can be leveraged to materially improve the operation and market position of the target.

 

               Attractive Size and Industry Positioning: Business that has achieved scale and a history of strong operating and financial results, but exhibits characteristics have been misevaluated or mispriced by the market. Business that can benefit from being publicly traded, is prepared to be a publicly traded company, and can utilize access to broader capital market.

 

               Committed and Capable Management Team: Strong, experienced management teams with a proven track record and share our vision of key strategic themes in the financial technology and financial services sector. Management that can benefit from our operating and investment expertise, industry perspective and skillset, and innovation capabilities.

 

               Opportunities for Add-On Acquisitions: Business that can grow both organically and through acquisitions. We believe that our ability to source proprietary opportunities and execute transactions will help the business we acquire grow through acquisition, and thus serve as a platform for further add-on acquisitions.

 

These criteria and guidelines 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 criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines 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

 

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criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

 

In addition to any potential business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.

 

Our Acquisition Process

 

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

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, Figure, Ellington, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target company is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. 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.

 

We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.

 

Each of our directors, director nominees and officers 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 entity. 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 initial business combination.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

As required by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) rules, our initial business combination will be approved by a majority of our independent directors. NYSE listing rules also require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriting fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Even though our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of our satisfaction of the 80% of fair market value test, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent

 

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investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of the 80% of net assets test. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects.

 

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.

 

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 are 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.

 

Other Considerations

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination or subsequent transaction with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington, our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination or, subject to certain exceptions, subsequent material transactions with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington, our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors or a committee thereof, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial business combination or transaction is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have neither individually identified nor considered a specific target business nor have they had any substantive discussions with possible target businesses. We have not (nor have any of our agents or affiliates) substantively engaged with any candidates (or a representative of any candidate) with respect to a possible acquisition transaction with our company. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive action, directly or indirectly, with any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.

 

Our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.

 

Corporate Information

 

Our executive offices are located at 650 California Street, Suite 2700, San Francisco, California 94108 and our telephone number is (628) 210-6937.

 

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Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

 

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

 

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

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (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 aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 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 will 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 (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30th and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th.

 

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THE OFFERING

 

In deciding 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 of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors.”

 

Securities offered 25,000,000 units (28,750,000 units if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
 

·    one share of Class A common stock; and

 

·    one-third of one redeemable warrant.

 

Proposed NYSE listing symbols

Units: “FACA.U”

 

Class A common stock: “FACA ”

 

Warrants: “FACA WS”

 

Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the underwriter informs us of its 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 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 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 three 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.
  In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing 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. If the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised

 

 

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  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 underwriter’s over-allotment option.
Units:  
Number outstanding before this offering 0
Number outstanding after this offering 25,000,0002
Common Stock:  
Number outstanding before this offering

10,714,285 shares of common stock, consisting of:

2,777,777 shares of Class B common stock and

7,936,508 shares of Class L common stock3

 

Number outstanding after this offering

35,714,285 shares of common stock, consisting of:

25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock,

2,777,777 shares of Class B common stock and

7,936,508 shares of Class L common stock4

Redeemable Warrants:  
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement concurrently with this offering 4,666,6675
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement
4,666,6676
Exercisability Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable.
 

 

We structured each unit to contain one-third of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock

___________________

2 Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock.

3 Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock.

4 Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock. The Class B common stock is automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.” Class L common stock will convert into Class A common stock after our initial business combination only to the extent certain triggering events occur prior to the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination, including specified strategic transactions and other triggering events, based on our stock trading at $12.50 per share and additional stock trading thresholds up to $20.00 per share, in each case, as described in this prospectus.

5 Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option.

6 Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option.

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in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of an initial business combination.

 

Exercise price

$11.50 per share of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as described herein.

 

  In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of 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 (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, (i) in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or any of its respective affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares or shares of Class L common stock held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance, and (ii) to the extent that such issuance is made to our sponsor or any of its respective affiliates, without taking into account the transfer of founder shares, shares of Class L common stock or private placement warrants (including if such transfer is effectuated as a surrender to us and subsequent reissuance by us) by our sponsor in connection with such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below in “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger described below in “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

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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 Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement, including our (i) failure to have an effective registration statement by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial business combination as described in the immediately following paragraph or (ii) as a result of a notice of redemption described below under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”). If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption rights even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under the applicable state securities laws.
  We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if shares of our Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or

 

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  qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.
  The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00
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 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 reported sale price of our Class A common stock 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 warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities).

 

  We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. Any such exercise would not be on a “cashless”

 

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  basis and would require the exercising holder to pay the exercise price for each warrant being exercised.
  None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as described below under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding 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 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);

 

·    if, and only if, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted per stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities); and

 

·    if, and only if, the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities), the private placement warrants are also concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above.

 

  The “fair market value” of our Class A common stock for the above purpose shall mean the volume-weighted average price of our Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the ten-trading day period described above ends. 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 whole warrant (subject to adjustment).
   

 

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  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 shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants - Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.
Founder shares

As of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor held a total of 12,321,428 shares of common consisting of 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share. The per share purchase price of the Class B common stock was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of Class B and Class L shares issued.

 

In February, 2021, our sponsor transferred 20,000 shares of Class B common stock to each of our independent directors. None of these transferred founder shares is subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised.

 

The number of shares of Class B common stock issued was determined based on the expectation that the shares of Class B common stock would represent 10% of the outstanding shares after this offering, excluding the shares of Class L common stock which are subject to stock performance and other vesting conditions as described in this prospectus.

 

Up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised so that our initial stockholders will maintain ownership of 10% of our common stock (excluding any shares underlying units our initial stockholders may purchase in this offering) after this offering.

  The shares of Class B common stock are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
 

·   only holders of the Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination and holders of a majority of our shares of Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason;

 

·   prior to the completion of our initial business combination, with respect to any matter submitted

 

 

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to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, other than the appointment of directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, except as required by law or the applicable rules of the NYSE then in effect, holders of our founders shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each public share entitling the holder to one vote per public share and each founder share entity the holder to a number of votes per founder share such that all of the founders shares would be entitled to cast a number of votes equal to 20% of the combined voting power of the founders shares and holders of our public shares voting together as a single class (excluding the shares of Class L common stock);

 

·   the shares of Class B common stock automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at 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 shares of Class B common stock are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;

 

·   our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and shares of Class L common stock if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any

 

 

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  extended time that we have to consummate a business combination beyond 24 months as a result of a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an “Extension Period”), although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe;
 

·    pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. 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. As a result, in addition to the founder shares, which are entitled to 20% of the combined voting power of the founders shares and public shares voting together as a single class, we would need only 9,375,000, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) or 1,562,500, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 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; and

 

·    the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.

 

Transfer restrictions on founder shares Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell (i) any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported 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 (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other

 

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property (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders-Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares, Shares of Class L Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants”) and (ii) any of their shares of Class L common stock for any reason, other than to specified permitted transferees or in connection with a complete liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction following our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property; provided, that any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion of any shares of Class L common stock will not be subject to such restrictions on transfer. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and founding team with respect to any founder shares and shares of Class L common stock and shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion of any founder shares.

  We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the “lock-up.”
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at 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 Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 10% of the sum of (i) the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus (ii) all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any units or warrants issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us).

 

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  The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Class A common stock issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.
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 public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. Each of our directors will hold office for a two-year term. 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 law or the applicable rules of the NYSE then in effect, holders of our founder shares and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share of Class A common stock entitling the holder to one vote per share and each founder share entitling the holder to a number of votes per founder share such that all of the founder shares in the aggregate would be entitled to cast a number of votes equal to 20% of the combined voting power of the founder shares and holders of our public shares voting together as a single class. The shares of Class L common stock shall have no voting rights.

 

Following the completion of our initial business combination, with respect to any matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by law or the applicable rules of the NYSE then in effect, holders of our founder shares and holders of shares of our Class A common stock shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.

 

Private placement warrants Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 4,666,667

 

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  private placement warrants (or 5,166,667 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per whole warrant (including if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur concurrently with the closing of this offering. Each whole private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, 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 (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless.
  The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable by us (except as set forth under “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees (see “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Private Placement Warrants”). If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its 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.
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders – Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares, Shares of Class L Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants.”
Cashless exercise of private placement warrants If holders of private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, except as described under “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or

 

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exceeds $10.00,” they would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) of our Class A common stock over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. 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 or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial business combination. If they remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited.

 

Shares of Class L Common Stock

Except as required by law or the applicable rules of the NYSE then in effect, the shares of Class L common stock shall have no voting rights.

 

If between the consummation of our initial business combination and the ten year anniversary of our initial business combination the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds one or more of the share targets described below, one-fourth of the shares of Class L common stock for each such target achievement will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock on a 1-for-1 basis (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like):

 

 

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• $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "First Price Vesting");

 

• $15.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Second Price Vesting");

 

• $17.50 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Third Price Vesting"); and

 

• $20.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Fourth Price Vesting").

 

For example, if fifteen months following the consummation of our initial business combination the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $15.00 but does not exceed $17.50 for 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period, both the First Price Vesting and Second Price Vesting target achievements will be met, resulting in a total of 3,968,254 shares of Class L common stock converting into 3,968,254 shares of Class A common stock, representing 1,984,127 shares of Class A common stock associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares of Class A common stock associated with the Second Price Vesting (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

In the event of any liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction consummated after our initial business combination ("Strategic Transaction") and before the one year anniversary of our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property at an effective price of at least $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (a "Qualifying Strategic Transaction"), all of the shares of Class L common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock at a ratio such that the sum of the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares plus the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all of the shares of Class L common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-

 

 

   

 

 

 

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converted basis, 20% (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) of the sum of the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of this offering, including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the shares of Class L common stock, plus the sum of the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination (net of any redemptions of shares of Class A common stock by public stockholders), excluding any forward purchase securities and any private placement shares, including any private placement shares issued to our sponsor, members of our founding team or any of their affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans, and any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination. For example, if at any time before the one year anniversary of our initial business combination we consummate a Qualifying Strategic Transaction – i.e., a Strategic Transaction involving the right of Class A stockholders to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property at an effective price of at least $15.00 per share of Class A common stock – then all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 3,968,254 shares of Class A common stock. As a result, the sum of the Class B shares owned by our sponsor at the time of this offering and the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time of the Qualifying Strategic Transaction will equal 20% of the sum of (i) the total Class A shares issued in this offering, (ii) the Class B shares owned by our sponsor at the time of this offering, and (iii) the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time of the Qualifying Strategic Transaction (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

If a Strategic Transaction occurs after the one year anniversary of our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property with an effective price of at least $10.00 per share of Class A common stock, all of the then-outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock as follows: 

   

 

 

 

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• if (and only if) the First Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $10.00 per share and less than or equal to $12.50 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $10.00 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

• if (and only if) the Second Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $12.50 per share and less than or equal to $15.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $12.50 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

• if (and only if) the Third Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $15.00 per share and less than or equal to $17.50 per share (a "Third Strategic Transaction Price Vesting Event"), all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting or Second Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $15.00 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

• if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such

 

 

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Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $17.50 per share and less than or equal to $20.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $17.50 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

• if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $20.00, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into one share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

For example, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $12.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting thresholds shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 1,984,127 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting.

 

In contrast, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 3,968,254 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting.

 

Further, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $17.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 5,952,381 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting.

 

Lastly, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $18.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, the First Price Vesting target shall have been met, but none of the Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 4,365,079 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting, and 396,825 shares associated with the Fourth Price Vesting. Together with the 1,984,127 shares of Class L common stock already vested and converted to shares of Class A common stock associated with the First Price Vesting, a total of 6,349,206 shares of Class L common stock will have vested and converted into shares of Class A common stock.

 

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Any conversion of Class L common stock described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class L common stock, and an issuance of Class A common stock. In no event will the shares of Class L common stock convert into shares of Class A common stock at a rate of less than one-to-one.

 

All shares of Class L common stock that are issued and outstanding on the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination will be automatically forfeited.

 

Shares of Class L common stock are not transferrable for any reason, other than to specified permitted transferees or a complete liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction following our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property; provided, that any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion of any shares of Class L common stock will not be subject to such restrictions on transfer.

Proceeds to be held in trust account NYSE rules 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. Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $250,000,000, or $10.00 per unit ($287,500,000, or $10.00 per unit, if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be placed into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. These proceeds include $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.
  Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise and income tax obligations (less up to $100,000 interest to pay dissolution expenses), the proceeds from this offering and 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, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or

 

 

 

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  pre-initial business combination activity, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law. Public stockholders who redeem their shares of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote described in clause (b) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period with respect to such shares of Class A common stock so redeemed. 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 franchise and income taxes, 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, if invested, will be invested only in U.S. government securities 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. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $250,000 of interest annually assuming an interest rate of 0.1% 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 $1,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,000,000 in expenses relating to this offering; 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

 

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  have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of an initial business combination.
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. NYSE listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriting fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination.
  If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test; provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
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 initial stockholders, directors, officers or their

 

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  respective 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. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and NYSE rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination. See “Proposed Business-Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how our initial stockholders, directors, officers or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
  The purpose of any such purchases of public shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are

 

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  made, the public “float” of our shares of Class A common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
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 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 us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
  The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares or shares of Class L common stock held by them and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or otherwise. We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initial vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring

 

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  public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares.
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 initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer.
  The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial 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 the law or stock exchange listing requirements. Under NYSE rules, 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 issued and outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. So long as maintain a listing for our securities on the NYSE, we will be required to comply with such rules.
  If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
 

·  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 the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies

   

 

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  Such provisions may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon.
  Whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on the NYSE, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above. Upon the public announcement of our initial 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 a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
  If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will:
 

·   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 outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A

 

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  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, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. 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 founder shares, which are entitled to 20% of the combined voting power of the founders shares and public shares voting together as a single class, we would need only 9,375,000, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) or 1,562,500, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 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 only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, in addition to the founder shares, we would not need any of the 25,000,000 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. 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.
  We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two

 

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  business days prior to the initial vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. 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 initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public stockholders who elected to redeem their shares.
  Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding 15% 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 initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group”

 

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(as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% 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 team to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against an initial business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management team 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 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.

 

  However, we will not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our certificate of incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering, the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, or applicable NYSE rules. Under

 

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  our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account. Our initial stockholders 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 and each of our officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of 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 the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have also waived their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
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.” We will use the remaining funds to pay the underwriter its deferred underwriting 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 to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-

 

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  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.
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we 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 or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 24-month time period, as may be extended by any Extension Period.
  Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and shares of Class L common stock held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors 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 if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.
   

 

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  The underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to the deferred underwriting commission 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.
Limited payments to insiders There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, non-cash payments, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor, officers or directors prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
 

·   repayment of a loan of up to an aggregate of $300,000 made to us by our sponsor to cover offering related and organizational expenses;

 

·   reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and

 

·   repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans have not been determined nor have any written arrangements been entered into with respect thereto. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

 

Audit Committee We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately 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 of

 

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  this prospectus entitled “Management-Committees of the Board of Directors-Audit Committee.”
Indemnity Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter 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 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. None of our officers, directors or members of our sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

Summary of Risks

 

We are a newly formed company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination (at the earliest), 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.

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

 

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

 

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

 

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·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.

 

·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.

 

·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.

 

·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 shares.

 

·The requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within 24 months (or such later date as approved by our stockholders) 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 in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

 

·We may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within 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.

 

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

 

·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.

 

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

 

·If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.

 

·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 have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

·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 the 24 months following the closing of this offering, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and our ability to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.

 

·Past performance by our management team or their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us or in the future performance of the business we may acquire.

 

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

 

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

 

·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.

 

·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.

 

 

 

 

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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.

 

     

December 31,

2020

      Actual
Balance Sheet Data:      
Working capital (deficiency)     $(32,500)
Total assets     $74,366
Total liabilities     $57,500
Stockholder’s equity     $16,866

 

If our initial business combination is not completed within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and shares of Class L common stock they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month time period or during any Extension Period.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

 

Certain statements in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements.” 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.

 

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, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:

 

our being a company with no operating history and no revenues;
our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly given competition from other blank check companies and financial and strategic buyers;
our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses, including competitive prospects of the business following our initial business combination;
our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;
our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
the number, variety and characteristics of prospective target businesses;
our ability to consummate an initial business combination amidst the uncertainty resulting from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects of the ongoing pandemic on our target industries, the economy and any business or businesses with which we consummate our initial business combination;
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 trust account not being subject to claims of third parties;
our financial performance following this offering; and
the other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

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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RISK FACTORS

 

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

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

 

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

 

We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. For instance, NYSE rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or NYSE rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction 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 initial business combination we complete. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business-Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.

 

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

 

Pursuant to a letter agreement, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our founder shares, which are entitled to 20% of the combined voting power of the founders shares and public shares voting together as a single class, we would need only 9,375,000, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) or 1,562,500, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 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 only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, in addition to the founder shares, we would not need any of the 25,000,000 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. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our sponsor, each of our officers and directors 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.

 

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential initial business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the initial business combination.

 

At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete an initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote.

 

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Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential initial business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

 

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

 

We may seek to enter into an initial business combination agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the initial business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into an initial business combination 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 initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares 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. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial 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 commissions and after such redemptions, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.

 

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

 

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

 

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The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

 

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

 

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

 

In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the COVID-19 outbreak as a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted, and other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread health crisis that has and will continue to adversely affect economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination may also be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner, or if COVID-19 causes a prolonged economic downturn. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, and the inability to accurately predict the future impact of the pandemic on businesses, has also made determinations and negotiations of valuation more difficult, which could make it more difficult to consummate a business combination transaction.

 

The extent to which COVID-19 ultimately impacts our identification and consummation of a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity and spread of COVID-19 and actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extended period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

 

In addition, our ability to consummate a business combination may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be adversely impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being available on terms acceptable to us or at all.

 

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of

 

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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 or their affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or public warrants from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A common stock.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase public 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. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions.

 

Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination, or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of an initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

 

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

 

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

 

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initial vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business-Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination-Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”

 

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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 identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 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 initial 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 the section of this prospectus entitled “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 15% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A common stock.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we will not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

Because of our special purpose acquisition company structure and limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We expect to encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar technical, human and other resources to ours, and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of 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, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may present closing risk by reducing the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Additionally, potential target companies may be less inclined to consummate a transaction with us because definitive documentation for such a transaction will preclude any recourse against our trust account, meaning that potential counterparties may determine that they do not have adequate contractual remedies in the event a transaction fails to close. These factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. 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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Our independent registered public accounting firm's report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

 

As of December 31, 2020, we had $25,000 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $32,500. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management's plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. In addition, management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and its effect on our financial position, results of operations and/or search for a target company. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.

 

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 initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or other agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. 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, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

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. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. 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. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, officers or directors, nor any of their affiliates, is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, or an affiliate of our sponsor, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business

 

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combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares.

 

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

 

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

 

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where our management team is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to a letter agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 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 for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter 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 believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers, directors or members of our sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The net proceeds of this offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants, in the amount of $250,000,000, will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in direct U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay income taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $250,000,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

 

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

 

registration as an investment company;
adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

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

 

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 amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if

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we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete an initial business combination or may result in our liquidation. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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

 

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. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly.

 

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

 

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

 

In recent months, the market for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors’ and officers’ liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue. The increased cost and decreased availability of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination company might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination company’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors. In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination company may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination company, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.

 

If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such 24 months before redemption from our trust account.

 

If we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of the interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 24 months from the closing of this offering or the expiration of any Extension Period before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption of public shares or liquidation unless we complete our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we do not complete our initial business combination.

 

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

 

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the end of the 24th

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month after the closing of this offering or the expiration of any Extension Period in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the ten years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

 

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

In accordance with 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. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of a 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.

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless.

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case the number of shares of our Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a

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formula subject to a maximum number of shares equal to 0.361 shares of our Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from state registration is available. If an exemption is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Notwithstanding the above, if shares of our Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

 

The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.

 

In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within 15 business days of the closing of an initial business combination.

 

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

 

There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis.

 

First, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. If this exemption, or another exemption is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis under these circumstances, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (defined above) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per whole warrant, and the number of shares of our Class A common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised the warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the shares of our Class A common stock have a fair market value of $17.50 per share when there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 shares of our Class A common stock. The holder would have received 875 shares of our Class A common stock if the exercise price was paid in cash.

 

Second, if we call the public warrants for redemption in the circumstances described in “Description of Securities-Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds

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$10.00”, holders who wish to exercise their warrants may do so on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis under those circumstances, a holder would receive that number of shares determined by reference to an agreed table based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of Class A common stock (See “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”).

 

In either case, a cashless exercise 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.

 

The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and sponsor 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 Class A common stock into which our shares of Class B common stock and Class L common stock are convertible, the private placement warrants, the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants held, or to be held, by them. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders, sponsor or holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

Any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.

 

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

 

We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management team’s area of expertise.

 

Although we intend to focus on identifying companies focusing on our target industry and related industries, we will consider an initial

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business combination outside of our management team’s area of expertise if an initial business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate in this sector after having expanded a reasonable amount of time and effort in an attempt to do so. Although our management team 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 an initial business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management team’s expertise, our management team’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management team’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management team may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors associated with such an initial business combination. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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

 

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. 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.

 

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

 

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

 

We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with Figure, Ellington, 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 with which our sponsor or one or more of our officers or directors is affiliated. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those

 

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described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Management-Conflicts of Interest.” 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 initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning an initial business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for an initial business combination as set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business-Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors or a committee thereof, to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with Figure, Ellington, our sponsor, or our officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

 

Moreover, we may, at our option, pursue an affiliated joint acquisition opportunity with entities to which an officer or director has a fiduciary, contractual or other obligation or duty. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the acquisition by issuing equity to any such parties, which may give rise to certain conflicts of interest.

 

We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions 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.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination or subsequent transaction with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington, our sponsor, or our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination or, subject to certain exceptions, subsequent material transactions with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington, our sponsor, or our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors or a committee thereof, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial business combination or transaction is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

We may issue additional common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, 15,000,000 shares of Class L common stock and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Immediately after this offering, there will be 75,000,000, 7,222,222 and 7,063,492 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriter has not exercised its over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Class L common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or conversion of shares of Class B or Class L common stock. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination.

 

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The shares of Class L common stock are non-voting and will convert into shares of Class A common stock after our initial business combination only to the extent certain triggering events occur prior to the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination, including specified strategic transactions and other triggering events based on our stock trading at $12.50 per share and additional stock trading thresholds up to $20.00 per share, in each case, as described in this prospectus. If following our initial business combination all of the shares of our Class L common stock vest, the number of shares of Class A common stock into which the shares of Class L common stock shall have converted plus the number of shares of Class A common stock into which the shares of Class B common stock shall have converted will represent, in the aggregate, 30% of the Class A common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of this offering. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all shares of Class L common stock that are issued and outstanding on the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination will be automatically forfeited.

 

We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of common or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

 

The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:

 

may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;
may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;
could cause a change of control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A common stock and/or warrants.

 

If all of our shares of Class L common stock vest, our initial stockholders, including our sponsor, will own, in the aggregate, 30% of the common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of this offering.

 

Most blank check companies issue founder shares representing 20% of the common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of such blank check company's initial public offering. We have issued 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock (up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock of which are subject to forfeiture) which will convert at the option of the holder thereof into shares of Class A common stock at any time after our initial business combination as described herein. The shares of Class B common stock will represent 10% of the common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of this offering, excluding shares of Class L common stock which are subject to stock performance and other vesting conditions as described in this prospectus.

 

We have also issued 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock (up to 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock of which are subject to forfeiture),which will convert into shares of Class A common stock after our initial business combination only to the extent certain triggering events occur prior to the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination, including specified strategic transactions and other triggering events, based on our stock

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trading at $12.50 per share and additional stock trading thresholds up to $20.00 per share, in each case, as described in this prospectus.

 

If following our initial business combination all of the shares of Class L common stock vest, the number of shares of Class A common stock into which the shares of Class L common stock shall have converted plus the number of shares of Class A common stock into which the shares of Class B common stock shall have converted will represent, in the aggregate, 30% of the common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of this offering. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all of the shares of Class L common stock that are issued and outstanding on the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination will be automatically forfeited. If all of the shares of our Class L common stock vest, the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon conversion of all of our shares of Class L common stock would dilute the interest of our stockholders relative to stockholders of other blank check companies.

 

Our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of Class A common stock if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination and may receive additional shares of Class A common stock if we meet certain share price targets.

 

The Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares shall convert into Class A common stock will be adjusted so that the number of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 10% of the sum of (i) the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus (ii) all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any units or warrants issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us). This is different from most other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial stockholder will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination.

 

If between the consummation of our initial business combination and the ten year anniversary of our initial business combination the closing price of shares of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds one or more of the share targets described below, one-fourth of the shares of Class L common stock for each such target achievement will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock on a 1-for-1 basis (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like):

 

• $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "First Price Vesting");

 

• $15.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Second Price Vesting");

 

• $17.50 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Third Price Vesting"); and

 

• $20.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Fourth Price Vesting").

 

For example, if fifteen months following the consummation of our initial business combination the closing price of shares of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $15.00 but does not exceed $17.50 for 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period, both the First Price Vesting and Second Price Vesting target achievements will be met, resulting in a total of 3,968,254 Class L Shares converting into shares of Class A common stock, representing 1,984,127 share associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the

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Second Price Vesting (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

In the event of any liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction consummated after our initial business combination ("Strategic Transaction") and before the one year anniversary of our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property at an effective price of at least $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (a "Qualifying Strategic Transaction"), all of the shares of Class L common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock at a ratio such that the sum of the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares plus the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all of the shares of Class L common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) of the sum of the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of this offering, including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the shares of Class L common stock, plus the sum of the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination (net of any redemptions of shares of Class A common stock by public stockholders), excluding any forward purchase securities and any private placement shares, including any private placement shares issued to our sponsor, members of our founding team or any of their affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans, and any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination. For example, if at any time before the one year anniversary of our initial business combination we consummate a Qualifying Strategic Transaction – i.e., a Strategic Transaction involving the right of Class A stockholders to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property at an effective price of at least $15.00 per share of Class A common stock – then all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 3,968,254 shares of Class A common stock. As a result, the sum of the Class B shares owned by our sponsor at the time of this offering and the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time of the Qualifying Strategic Transaction will equal 20% of the sum of (i) the total Class A shares issued in this offering, (ii) the Class B shares owned by our sponsor at the time of this offering, and (iii) the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time of the Qualifying Strategic Transaction (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

If a Strategic Transaction occurs after the one year anniversary of our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property with an effective price of at least $10.00 per share of Class A common stock, all of the then-outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock as follows:

 

• if (and only if) the First Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $10.00 per share and less than or equal to $12.50 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $10.00 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

• if (and only if) the Second Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $12.50 per share and less than or equal to $15.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $12.50 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

• if (and only if) the Third Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $15.00 per share and less than or equal to $17.50 per share (a "Third Strategic Transaction Price Vesting Event"), all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting or Second Price Vesting that shall have

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occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $15.00 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

• if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $17.50 per share and less than or equal to $20.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $17.50 and the denominator of which is $10.00 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

• if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $20.00, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into one share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

For example, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $12.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting thresholds shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 1,984,127 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting.

 

In contrast, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 3,968,254 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting.

 

Further, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $17.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 5,952,381 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting.

 

Lastly, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $18.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, the First Price Vesting target shall have been met, but none of the Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 4,365,079 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting, and 396,825 shares associated with the Fourth Price Vesting. Together with the 1,984,127 shares of Class L common stock already vested and converted to shares of Class A common stock associated with the First Price Vesting, a total of 6,349,206 shares of Class L common stock will have vested and converted into shares of Class A common stock.

 

Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. 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.

 

Since our sponsor and its investors and our directors will lose their entire at-risk investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

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In December 2020, our sponsor purchased 4,107,143 shares of Class B common stock and 8,214,286 shares of Class L common stock for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share. In January 2021, the sponsor surrendered its Class B and Class L shares, and we reissued to the sponsor 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock, with no return of capital or payment by the sponsor, resulting in the sponsor holding 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock with an effective purchase price of approximately $0.002 per share. The founder shares include up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. Additionally, up to 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock is subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. The per share purchase price of the Class B and Class L common stock was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of Class B and Class L shares issued. The number of shares of Class B and Class L common stock issued was determined based on the expectation that such shares of Class B and Class L common stock would represent 30% of the outstanding shares of common stock after this offering.

 

In February, 2021, our sponsor transferred 20,000 shares of Class B common stock to each of our independent directors. None of these transferred founder shares is subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised.

 

All of the founder shares and shares of Class L common stock will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.

 

In addition, our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,666,667 warrants (or 5,166,667 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate, or $7,750,000 in the aggregate if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), which will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us pursuant to which they have agreed to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) any stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. 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 the initial business combination.

 

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

 

Although we have no commitments as of the date 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 initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account.

 

As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

 

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 is payable on demand;
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;

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our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements and execution of our strategy; and
other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

We may 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 services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.

 

Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to $8,750,000, or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).

 

We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses concurrently or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

 

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 initial business combination.

 

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

 

If we determine to concurrently acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 deferred underwriting commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

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

 

In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments, including to extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-initial business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), including an amendment to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated, may be amended with the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our stockholders may not support.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein and including to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote

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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 NYSE rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of 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 the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor and each of our officers and directors. Persons who are not party to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor or any of our officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, such persons would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

 

We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.

 

We have not selected any specific business combination target but may target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. As a result, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of public shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase public shares in connection with our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “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,” under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.

 

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Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination and, upon consummation of our initial business combination, our sponsor will have certain rights to designate individuals for nomination for election as directors.

 

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 public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.

 

Further, pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement, upon consummation of an initial business combination, our sponsor will be entitled to designate three individuals for nomination for election to our board of directors. This may result in our sponsor having significant control over our business.

 

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 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 founder shares representing 10% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock, but such founder shares will represent 20% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering. In addition, the Class B common stock, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will have no right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time.

 

As a result of their substantial ownership in our company, 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. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock.

 

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

 

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We would include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy or tender offer rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe.

 

Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company

 

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

 

Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

Risks Relating to Our Management Team

 

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

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combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

 

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we employ after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

 

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

 

Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

 

Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements as well as reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, if any, with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation or reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses, if any, following our initial 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 the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Additionally, they may negotiate reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred on our behalf prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, should they choose to do so. Such negotiations would take place concurrently with the negotiation of the initial business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the initial business combination, or as reimbursement for such out-of-pocket expenses. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our sponsor, upon consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors.

 

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

 

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

 

We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.

 

We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm's length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters' compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.

 

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

 

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 officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business.

 

There could be overlap between companies that would be suitable for a business combination with us and companies that present an attractive investment opportunity for our directors or officers, and entities with which they currently are or may in the future be affiliated. For example, our officers and several of our directors are associated with Figure, which conducts investing and related activities in our target industry.

 

Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Any such opportunities may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, and our directors and officers may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

 

For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management-Officers and Directors,” “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 an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

 

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Risks Relating to our Securities

 

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

 

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

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

 

We have applied to list our units for trading on the NYSE. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants will be separately listed on the NYSE. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NYSE listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum of 300 public 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 stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5,000,000 and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round-lot holders of our unrestricted securities (with at least 50% of such round-lot holders holding unrestricted securities with a market value of at least $2,500). We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
reduced liquidity for our securities;

a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units are, and we expect that 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

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securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.

 

Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 in exchange for 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from your purchase of our Class A common stock.

 

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 fraction of a 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 the shares of Class B and Class L common stock at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 95.8% (or $9.58 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.42 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the Class B common stock, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of our warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our

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warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

 

This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.

 

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

 

If:

 

(i) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, (i) in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or any of its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares or shares of Class L common stock held by our sponsor or its affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance, and (ii) to the extent that such issuance is made to our sponsor or any of its respective affiliates, without taking into account the transfer of founder shares or private placement warrants (including if such transfer is effectuated as a surrender to us and subsequent reissuance by us) by our sponsor in connection with such issuance);
(ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions); and
(iii) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described under “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

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 upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities) for any 20 trading days within 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 to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise

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wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.

 

In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, provided that the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities) for any 20 trading days within 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, including that holders will only be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption for a number of shares of Class A common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of shares of our Class A common stock. Please see “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00.” The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of shares received is capped at 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per whole warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.

 

None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us (except as set forth under “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.

 

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

 

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 8,333,333 shares of Class A common stock (or 9,583,333 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, concurrently with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing private placements warrants to purchase an aggregate of 4,666,667 shares of Class A common stock (or 5,166,667 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at $11.50 per share. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock. The shares of Class B common stock and Class L are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment and for the Class L common stock, subject to certain vesting thresholds. In addition, if our sponsor makes any working capital loans, up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

 

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

 

The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) they will not be redeemable by us (except as described under “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”), (ii) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) they are entitled to registration rights.

 

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

 

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Each unit contains one-third of one redeemable warrant. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

 

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 underwriter. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with 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, price 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;
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.

 

General Risk Factors

 

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

 

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 an initial business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

 

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Past performance by Figure, Ellington, our management team, directors and their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the company or in the future performance of any business we may acquire.

 

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, Figure, Ellington, our management team, directors and their respective affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by Figure, Ellington, our management team, directors and such affiliates is not a guarantee (i) either 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 performance of Figure, Ellington, our management team and directors or that of their respective affiliates as indicative of the future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. Figure, Ellington, our management team and directors and their respective affiliates have had limited past experience with blank check and special purpose acquisition companies.

 

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 aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 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 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 (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30th and (2) our annual revenues equal or exceed $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements and other disclosures 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 initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.

 

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 will include two-year director terms, the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock, and the fact that, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of shares of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote in the election of directors, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

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

 

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 our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for any action arising under the Securities Act. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our

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amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Our amended and restated of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933 or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

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

 

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

 

Since only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors, upon the listing of our shares on the NYSE, the NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of its listing rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.

 

After completion of this offering, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. As a result, the NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of their listing corporate governance standards. Under NYSE corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:

 

we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of the NYSE;
we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.

We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance requirements.

 

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

 

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant to purchase one share of our Class A common stock included in

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each unit could be challenged by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or IRS, or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares of common stock suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section of this prospectus titled “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

 

We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders or warrant holders.

 

We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite stockholder approval under Delaware law, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a stockholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity (or may otherwise result in adverse tax consequences). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes.

 

Stockholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.

 

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

 

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

 

higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;
rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
tariffs and trade barriers;
regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
tax issues, including but not limited to tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
rates of inflation;
cultural and language differences;
employment regulations;
data privacy;
changes in industry, regulatory or environmental standards within the jurisdictions where we operate;
public health or safety concerns and governmental restrictions, including those caused by outbreaks of pandemic disease such as the COVID-19 pandemic;
crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;
deterioration of political relations with the United States; and
government appropriations of assets.

 

We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

 

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We may face risks related to the financial technology and financial services sector and related industries.

 

Business combinations with businesses in the financial technology and financial services sector and related industries may involve special considerations and risks. If we complete our initial business combination with a business in such industries, we will be subject to the following risks, any of which could be detrimental to us and the business we acquire:

 

financial services are highly regulated, both at the federal and state level;
competition could reduce profit margins;
consumer preferences could change;
failure to maintain and manage supply chains effectively;
availability of organic and similar ingredients at competitive prices;
the target industry and related industries are susceptible to significant liability exposure. If liability claims are brought against us following our initial business combination, it could materially adversely affect our operations;
loss of, or business disruption at, non-affiliated distributors through which sales are made;
interruption in, disruption of or loss of operations at one or more manufacturing facilities;
inability to use trademarks; and
failure to comply with the requirements of independent third-party certification organizations or authorities.

 

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following our initial business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to businesses in our target industries. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks will likely not affect us and we will be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We are offering 25,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive 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

Exercised

Gross proceeds          
Gross proceeds from units offered to public  $250,000,000   $287,500,000 
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants  $7,000,000   $7,750,000 
Total gross proceeds  $257,000,000   $295,250,000 
Estimated offering expenses(1)          
Underwriting commissions (2% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(2)  $5,000,000   $5,750,000 
Legal fees and expenses  $300,000   $300,000 
Accounting fees and expenses  $40,000   $40,000 
SEC expenses  $31,367   $31,367 
FINRA expenses  $43,625   $43,625 
NYSE listing and filing fees  $85,000   $85,000 
Director and officer liability insurance premiums  $400,000   $400,000 
Printing and engraving expenses  $15,000   $15,000 
Miscellaneous(3)  $85,008   $85,008 
Total estimated offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions)  $1,000,000   $1,000,000 
Proceeds after offering expenses  $251,000,000   $288,500,000 
Held in trust account  $250,000,000   $287,500,000 
% 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(4).

 

   Amount  % of Total
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination  $575,000    58%
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations  $200,000    20%
NYSE continued listing fees  $85,000    8%
Other miscellaneous expenses  $140,000    14%
Total:  $1,000,000    100%

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(1) A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of a loan from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of December 31, 2020, we had $0 outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor. This loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the proceeds that have been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and amounts not to be held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses are less than as 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.
(2) The underwriter has agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), which constitutes the underwriter’s deferred commissions will be paid to the underwriter from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released by 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 underwriter will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting commissions.
 (3) Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to the above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates.
(4) These expenses are estimates only and do not include interest which may be available to us from the trust account. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an initial 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.

 

NYSE rules 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. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrant, $250,000,000 (or $287,500,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $8,750,000 (or up to $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will be placed in a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $250,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.1% per year; however, we can provide no assurance regarding this amount. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise and income tax obligations and to pay up to $100,000 in dissolution expenses, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law.

 

The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using 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 the post-transaction company, 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. 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 business combination, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of an initial business combination. However, if our

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estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial 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 their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

 

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2020, we had $0 outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

 

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 or 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 $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 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 for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, or an affiliate of our sponsor, or certain of our officers or directors, 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 seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers or their respective 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. There is no limit on the number of shares our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and the NYSE rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination. See “Proposed Business-Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, officers or any of their respective 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 initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares of common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

 

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We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our initial business combination may require 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 so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months following the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law and as further described herein and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and shares of Class L common stock if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. If we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

 

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DILUTION

 

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

 

At December 31, 2020, our net tangible book deficit was $32,500, or approximately $0.00 per share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 28,750,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at December 31, 2020 would have been $5,000,006, or approximately $0.42 per share (or $5,000,006, or approximately $0.36 per share, if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 23,726,686 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash, or 27,345,436 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) of approximately $0.42 per share (or approximately $0.36 per share if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and dilution to public stockholders from this offering will be approximately $9.58 per share (or approximately $9.64 per share if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full).

 

The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants:

 

     

Without Over-

Allotment

   

With Over-

Allotment

Public offering price           $10.00           $10.00
Net tangible book value before this offering     (0.00)           (0.00)      
Increase attributable to public stockholders     0.42           0.36      
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants           0.42           0.36
Dilution to public stockholders           $ 9.58           $ 9.64
Percentage of dilution to public stockholders           95.8%           96.4%

 

For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) by $237,266,860 because holders of up to approximately 94.9% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or stockholders meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes), divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering

 

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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders (who hold shares of our Class B common stock and Class L common stock) and the public stockholders:

 

   Shares Purchased  Total Consideration 

Average

Price Per

   Number  Percentage  Amount  Percentage  Share
Initial Stockholders(1)   10,714,285    30%  $25,000    0.01%  $0.002 
Public Stockholders   25,000,000    70%  $250,000,000    99.99%  $10.00 
Total:   35,714,285    100%  $250,025,000    100%     
(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of an aggregate of 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock.
 

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

 

  

Without Over-

Allotment

 

With Over-

Allotment

Numerator:          
Net tangible book value before this offering  $(32,500)  $(32,500)
Net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants (1)   251,000,000    288,500,000 
Plus: Offering costs accrued or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value   49,366    49,366 
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions   (8,750,000)   (10,062,500)
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(2)   (237,266,860)   (273,454,360)
   $5,000,006   $5,000,006 
Denominator:          
Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering   3,194,444    3,194,444 
Shares of Class B common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised   (416,666)    
Shares of Class L common stock outstanding prior to this offering   9,126,984    9,126,984 
Shares of Class L common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised   (1,190,476)    
Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered   25,000,000    28,750,000 
Less: Shares subject to redemption   (23,726,686)   (27,345,436)
    11,987,599    13,725,992 
(1) Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $1,000,000 and underwriting commissions of $5,000,000 without the over-allotment option exercise and $5,750,000 with the over-allotment option exercise (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.”
(2) If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, officers or their respective 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. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of shares of Class A common stock subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business-Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”

 

CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization at December 31, 2020, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the sale of our units in this offering, the sale of the

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private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option:

 

   December 31, 2020
   Actual  As Adjusted(1)
Note payable to related party(1)  $   $ 
Deferred underwriting commissions       8,750,000 
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption; 0 and 23,726,686 shares, actual and as adjusted, respectively(2)       237,266,860 
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted        
Class A common stock, $0.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 1,273,314 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 23,726,686 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively       127 
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized, 3,194,444 and 2,777,777 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)   319    277 
Class L common stock, $0.0001 par value, 15,000,000 shares authorized, 9,126,984 and 7,936,508 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)   913    794 
Additional paid-in capital   23,768    5,006,942 
Accumulated deficit   (8,134)   (8,134)
Total stockholders’ equity  $16,866   $5,000,006 
Total capitalization  $16,866   $251,016,866 
(1) Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of this note out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. As of December 31, 2020, we had $0 outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor.
(2) Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination.
(3) Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of shares of Class B common stock by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, and, consequently, forfeiture of 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and of 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock .

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Overview

 

We are a 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. We have not 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. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.

 

The issuance of additional shares in connection with an initial business combination to the owners of the target or other investors:

 

may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock;
may subordinate the rights of holders of our 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 is 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;
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A common stock and/or warrants.

 

Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:

 

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 is payable on demand;
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2020, we had $25,000 in cash and deferred offering costs of $49,366. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.

 

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Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events

 

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

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2020, we had $25,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of approximately $32,500. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of shares of Class B and Class L common stock to our sponsor and up to $300,000 in a loan from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of December 31, 2020, we had $0 outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor.

 

We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $1,000,000 and underwriting commissions of $5,000,000, or $5,750,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full)) and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $7,000,000 (or $7,750,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full).

 

Of this amount, $250,000,000, or $287,500,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full, including $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions, will be deposited into a trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. The remaining $1,000,000 will not be held in the trust account. 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.

 

We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay franchise and income taxes. We estimate our annual franchise tax obligations, based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding after the completion of this offering, to be $200,000, which is the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation per annum, which we may pay from funds from this offering held outside of the trust account or from interest earned on the funds held in our trust account and released to us for this purpose. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account.

 

We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our franchise and income taxes. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

 

Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or

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similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete an initial business combination.

 

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor, or certain of our officers or 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. 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 for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 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 for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor, or certain of our officers or directors 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 expect our primary liquidity requirements prior to our initial business combination to include approximately $575,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; approximately $200,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; approximately $85,000 for NYSE listing fees; and approximately $170,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves net of estimated interest income.

 

These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.

 

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. In addition, we may target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

 

Controls and Procedures

 

We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public

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accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend 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 independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.

 

Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

 

staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
reconciliation of accounts;
proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;
evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;
documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

 

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

 

Once our management team’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk. However, if the interest rates of U.S. government treasury obligations become negative, we may have less interest income available to us for payment of taxes, and a decline in the value of the assets held in the trust account could reduce the principal below the amount initially deposited in the trust account.

 

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

 

As of December 31, 2020, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus, as we have conducted no operations to date.

 

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

 

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

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As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

 

Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the report of independent registered public accounting firm providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the principal executive officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

 

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 (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equal or exceed $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th.

 

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PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

Our Company

 

We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation 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 business combination target.

 

We are sponsored by Fintech Acquisition LLC, which is an affiliate of Figure Technologies, Inc. Figure is a technology company offering financial solutions leveraging blockchain, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics. Figure serves both individuals and institutions with products spanning home improvement, debt consolidation, retirement, capital table management, and fund services. Established in 2018 in San Francisco, California, Figure has raised over $220 million in funding from leading early stage and corporate venture investors including Ribbit Management, the Partners at DST Global, RPM Ventures, Nimble Ventures and Morgan Creek, among others. In addition, Ellington Management Group, LLC owns a significant economic interest in Fintech Acquisition LLC and has the right to designate a director for election to our board of directors. Ellington is an alternative investment adviser which manages assets across funds and accounts spanning diversified credit, mortgages and related markets.

 

We intend to leverage the deep relationships and diverse industry knowledge of our sponsor, management team and Ellington in order to pursue exceptional opportunities in the financial technology and financial services sector. Our team’s extensive operating, investing, and industry experience will be critical to identify, negotiate, and structure a strong transaction. We seek to acquire a business that has already achieved significant scale but stands to benefit from the application of Figure’s proprietary technology to drive growth and operating improvements. In particular, we seek to acquire a business that can benefit from leveraging Figure’s technology platform built on Provenance blockchain (the “Figure Provenance Platform”).

 

Provenance blockchain is a blockchain with demonstrated value optimizing asset origination, asset financing, asset sales, securitization, investment fund services, banking, and payments. In the context of securitization, the Figure Provenance Platform and Provenance blockchain supported the first securitization backed by loans originated, serviced, financed, and sold entirely on the blockchain. The aggregate benefit to all parties of this securitization (e.g., originator, sponsor, servicer, loan buyer) totaled over 100 basis points in reduced costs, representing potential savings of over $30 billion to the $3 trillion annual securitization market. We feel that making the Figure Provenance Platform available to an acquisition target may make our offering more attractive and offer immediate financial market benefit.

 

We may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry, sector, or geographic region, but intend to concentrate efforts on businesses in the financial technology and financial services sector including, but not limited to, services and technology businesses that provide support to the financial services sector. Given the depth and diversity of our network and the experience of our management team, target market segments span family-owned businesses, corporate carve-outs, private equity-owned businesses and venture capital-based business.

 

We believe that our management team is well positioned to identify attractive business combination opportunities with high growth potential, strong value propositions, and compelling competitive positions. Our Chairman and President have decades of experience investing in, launching, and growing leading companies in the financial technology and financial services sector, while our Chief Executive Officer brings 30+ years of experience as a senior executive in the financial services and mortgage banking business. Our objective is to generate attractive returns for our shareholders and enhance value through technology and operational improvements to organically or inorganically grow the business we acquire.

 

Management Team

 

Michael Cagney will serve as our Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Cagney has been a member of the Board of Directors of Figure and has served as Figure’s CEO since its inception in March 2018. From 2011 to 2017, Mr. Cagney was CEO and Chairman of the Board of SoFi, a technology and financial services company. From 2006 to 2016, Mr. Cagney served as Managing Partner of Cabezon Investment Group, a hedge fund manager. From 2010 to 2016, Mr. Cagney served as Chairman of ReFlow, a technology and financial services company. Mr. Cagney has a BA, Economics (1993) and a MS, Applied Economics and Finance (1994) from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a MS, Management (2011) from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

 

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Christopher D. Davies will serve as our Chief Executive Officer and a Director. Mr. Davies is currently the Head of Lending for Figure. Previously, he served as Head of Global Mort-gage and CEO of CitiMortgage at Citibank, where he was responsible for mortgage sales and fulfillment across the North America, Capital Markets, International Mortgages and Corp Holdings divisions, a role he left in October 2019. Mr. Davies joined Citi in March 2014 as Head of Mortgage Originations in North America and of Corp Holdings. Prior to joining Citi, Mr. Davies held a number of executive positions at leading financial institutions. From 2012 through 2014, he served as CEO of QBE First, a commercial and personal insurance company. Mr. Davies also served as President of Capital One Home Loans (2009-2012), where he built a stand-alone mortgage servicing operation and managed a $50 billion servicing and as-set portfolio. From 2007 through 2009, Mr. Davies was the CEO and Vice Chairman of LendingTree where he provided strategic direction for all aspects of the country’s leading online lending exchange. Before joining Lending Tree, Mr. Davies had an extensive career at Wachovia (1988-2006), where he served most recently as CEO of Wachovia Mortgage Corp. He has served as an Executive Board member for Clemson University Business School and an OCC expert speaker on mortgage industry best practices for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He holds a B.S. in Financial Management from Clemson University.

 

Asiff Hirji will serve as our President. Mr. Hirji is the President of Figure, where he runs the company and is focused on scaling the core lending and banking businesses, expanding internationally and launching new products. Mr. Hirji was formerly President & Chief Operating Officer of Coinbase, the world’s leading crypto currency company. Prior to Coinbase, he was an investor and advisor in the private equity and venture capital spaces, including as an operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz focusing on scaling portfolio companies, and as a Senior Advisor with Bain Capital and Advent International, helping to drive their technology investment efforts. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Hirji was Chief Restructuring Officer of HP reporting to CEO Meg Whitman, where he led a global $14 billion, 90,000 employee business serving most of the Fortune 500 companies. From 2007 to 2013, Mr. Hirji was a Partner with TPG Capital, where he helped lead investing efforts in Financial Services, Technology, Media and E-commerce. From 2003 to 2007, Mr. Hirji was an executive officer of TD Ameritrade, where he served successively as CIO, COO, and then President, helping to build the company into the world’s largest online broker. Prior to TD Ameritrade, Mr. Hirji was a Partner at Bain & Co. and a leader of their IT and Financial Services practices. Before Bain, Mr. Hirji was President and Chief Technology Officer for Netfolio, an online investment advisor start-up. He was also a founding member and Partner of the Mitchell Madison Group, a global strategic consultancy that specializes in Financial Services and Technology. Mr. Hirji also serves on the boards of Nubank and Forge, is a former public board member of Advent Software and Citrix Systems Inc., and served on the boards of Saxo Bank, TES Global, RentPath, and Eze Software. Mr. Hirji has also taught a highly rated MBA course on Private Equity at the University of Berkeley’s, Haas School of Business, where he now guest lectures. Mr. Hirji began his career at IBM Labs as a software engineer. Mr. Hirji received an MBA with honors from the University of Western Ontario, and his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Calgary.

 

Thomas J. Milani will serve as our Chief Financial Officer. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Figure, and has been with the company since its inception in January 2018. At Figure, Mr. Milani heads up finance, accounting, capital markets and treasury management. Previously, Mr. Milani was employed by SoFi from 2016 to 2018 where he headed up the New Products Group. He also led the acquisition of ZenBanx, Inc., which facilitated SoFi’s entry into the digital banking space. Prior to SoFi, Mr. Milani was an investment professional at Apollo Global Management from 2015 to 2016. At Apollo, Mr. Milani focused on corporate strategy as well as investing in assets and companies in the lending, specialty finance and financial technology space. Prior to Apollo, Mr. Milani was an investment banker at Sandler O’Neill and BMO Capital Markets covering the financial institutions space. In these roles, Mr. Milani advised on mergers & acquisitions and raised equity and debt capital for companies including specialty lenders, financial technology companies, exchanges, depositories, insurance companies and asset managers. Mr. Milani graduated from Villanova University in 2011 with a Bachelors in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our objective is to generate attractive returns for our shareholders by identifying and completing a business combination with a high quality target at an attractive valuation relative to public market peers. We will seek target companies that demonstrate the characteristics consistent with “Our Acquisition Criteria” below. To achieve a

 

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successful initial business combination our management team and board of directors will leverage their financial, operational, and industry experience to identify a company with a compelling value proposition and superior operating results. We expect to differentiate ourselves through our:

 

·            experience operating financial technology and financial services companies including developing and changing de-novo strategies and identifying unique applications for technology,

 

·            developing and growing companies with a successful track record transforming and scaling financial businesses through technology, brand and cross-sell,

 

·            ability to leverage our extensive network of financial services professionals and financial technology founders/CEOs, as well as investors spanning the public equity, private equity, and venture ecosystems, to facilitate sourcing, structuring, acquiring, and selling businesses,

 

·            decades of collective investing and M&A experience within the context of the financial technology and financial services sector,

 

·            capacity to leverage proven and scaled blockchain platform which drives operational, technological and marketing improvements to maximize the growth potential of businesses, and

 

·            connectivity with the capital markets, including financing businesses and sourcing appropriate takeout capital for financial products.

 

Following completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with their network of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target company and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.

 

Acquisition Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we expect to identify companies that have compelling growth potential and a combination of the following characteristics. 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 business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We will seek to acquire companies that have one or more of the following characteristics:

 

               Value Enhancement from Figure Technology Capabilities: Business where our proprietary technology and the collective capabilities of our management board members can be leveraged to materially improve the operation and market position of the target.

 

               Attractive Size and Industry Positioning: Business that has achieved scale and a history of strong operating and financial results, but exhibits characteristics have been misevaluated or mispriced by the market. Business that can benefit from being publicly traded, is prepared to be a publicly traded company, and can utilize access to broader capital market.

 

               Committed and Capable Management Team: Strong, experienced management teams with a proven track record and share our vision of key strategic themes in the financial technology and financial services sector. Management that can benefit from our operating and investment expertise, industry perspective and skillset, and innovation capabilities.

 

               Opportunities for Add-On Acquisitions: Business that can grow both organically and through acquisitions. We believe that our ability to source proprietary opportunities and execute transactions will help the business we acquire grow through acquisition, and thus serve as a platform for further add-on acquisitions.

 

These criteria and guidelines 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 criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria and guidelines that our management may deem relevant. In the event

 

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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 and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

 

In addition to any potential business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.

 

Our Acquisition Process

 

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

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated Figure, Ellington or with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our Figure, Ellington or sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target company is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. 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.

 

We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.

 

Each of our directors, director nominees and officers 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 entity. 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 initial business combination.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

As required by the NYSE rules, our initial business combination will be approved by a majority of our independent directors. NYSE listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriting fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of the 80% of net assets test. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects.

 

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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.

 

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 are 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.

 

Other Considerations

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination or subsequent transaction with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington or our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination or, subject to certain exceptions, subsequent material transactions with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington or our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors or a committee thereof, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial business combination or transaction is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors have neither individually identified nor considered a specific target business nor have they had any substantive discussions with possible target businesses. We have not (nor have any of our agents or affiliates) substantively engaged with any candidates (or a representative of any candidate) with respect to a possible acquisition transaction with our company. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive action, directly or indirectly, with any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.

 

Our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.

 

Corporate Information

 

Our executive offices are located at 650 California Street, Suite 2700, San Francisco, California 94108 and our telephone number is (628) 210-6937.

 

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Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

 

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

 

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

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (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 aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30, 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 will 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 (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equal or exceed $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th.

 

Financial Position

 

With funds available for an initial business combination initially in the amount of $241,500,000 after payment of $8,750,000 of deferred underwriting commissions (or $277,437,500 after payment of $10,062,500 of deferred underwriting commissions if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case after giving effect to this offering and excluding working capital held outside the trust account and before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, we offer a target business a variety of options, such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us if needed to complete a transaction.

 

Effecting Our Initial Business Combination

 

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.

 

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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 or used for redemptions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

 

We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt or otherwise.

 

Sources of Target Businesses

 

We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various sources, including our global networks, as well as other sources such as investment bankers and investment professionals. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our sponsor, officers and directors and their respective affiliates may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which our sponsor or officers are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation by the company prior to, or in connection with, any services rendered in order to effectuate the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). Although none of our sponsor, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated initial business combination, we do not have a policy that prohibits our sponsor, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, from negotiating for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by a target business. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an initial business combination candidate.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination or subsequent transaction with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington or our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination or, subject to certain exceptions, subsequent material transactions with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington or our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors or a committee thereof, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial business combination or transaction is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

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As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management-Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

 

Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination

 

NYSE listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriting fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Even though our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of our satisfaction of the 80% of net assets test, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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Lack of Business Diversification

 

For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to acquire multiple businesses. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination and cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a limited number of products or services.

 

Post-Combination Management Team

 

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

 

We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.

 

Type of Transaction    

Whether

Stockholder

Approval is

Required

Purchase of assets     No
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company     No
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company     No
Merger of the company with a target     Yes

 

Under NYSE listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:

 

we issue shares of Class A common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our Class A common stock then outstanding;

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any of our directors, officers or substantial stockholders (as defined by NYSE listing rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of common stock could result in an increase in outstanding shares of common stock or voting power of 5% or more; or
the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.

 

The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

 

the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company;
the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote;
the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;
other time and budget constraints of the company; and
additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders.

 

Permitted Purchases of Our Securities

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers or their respective 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. There is no limit on the number of shares our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and NYSE rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates will only purchase

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public shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.

 

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

 

Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination or Certain Stockholder Votes to Amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon (i) the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. Such redemptions, if any, will be made at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the event triggering the right to redeem, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, 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 commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as described above.

 

Manner of Conducting Redemptions in Conjunction with a Stockholder Vote on our Initial Business Combination

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial 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 the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under NYSE rules, 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. If we structure an initial business combination with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed initial business combination. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the NYSE, we will be required to comply with such rules.

 

If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

 

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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.

 

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

 

In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.

 

If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

 

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.

 

In the event that we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public stockholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.

 

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, each of our officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. 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 founder shares, which are entitled to 20% of the combined voting power of the founders shares and public shares voting together as a single class, we would need only 9,375,000, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) or 1,562,500, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 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 only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, in addition to the founder shares, we would not need any of the 25,000,000 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. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our

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initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.

 

Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Stockholder Approval

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” Such restriction shall also be applicable to our affiliates. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed initial business combination as a means to force us or our management team to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we will not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.

 

Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights

 

We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the initial vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.

 

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.

 

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In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the initial business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the initial business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the initial business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the initial business combination is approved.

 

Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

If a proposed initial business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete an initial business combination with a different target until 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.

 

Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination

 

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

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and shares of Class L common stock held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers or directors 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 if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 24-month time period.

 

In addition, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to the letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to

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modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement described above, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.

 

We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any tax obligations we may owe. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

 

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.

 

Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or 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, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would 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 an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriter of this offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.

 

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. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual

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amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter 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 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. None of our officers, directors or members of our sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification 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, may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.

 

We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,000,000 from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors; however, such liability would not be greater than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such stockholder. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $1,000,000, we may fund such excess with the 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.

 

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 or during any Extension Period may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any 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.

 

If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the

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funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following our 24th month and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. 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. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or 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. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.

 

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 or during any Extension Period is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then, pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution instead of three years in the case of a liquidating distribution.

 

If 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, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if 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. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

 

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if

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we do not complete our business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights as described above. 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.

 

Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination, or Certain Stockholder Votes to Amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination.

 

The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period.

 

     

Redemptions in Connection with Our Initial

Business Combination or Certain Stockholder Votes

to Amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

   

Other Permitted  

Purchases of

Public Shares by

Us or Our Affiliates

   

Redemptions if

We fail to Complete

an Initial Business

Combination

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Calculation of redemption price     Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, or in the case of redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place, if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed initial business combination.     If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers or their affiliates may pay in these transactions.     If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
                   

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Impact to remaining stockholders     The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or certain stockholder votes to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable.     If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us.     The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders, who will be our only remaining stockholders after such redemptions.

 

Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

 

The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriter will not exercise its over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.

 

      Terms of Our Offering    

Terms Under a Rule 419

Offering

Escrow of offering proceeds     NYSE rules 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. $250,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.     Approximately $212,625,000 of the offering proceeds would be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.
             
Investment of net proceeds     $250,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.     Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.
             

Receipt of interest on escrowed funds     Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable, and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation.     Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination.

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Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business     NYSE listing rules require that our initial business combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the value of the trust account (excluding any deferred underwriting fees and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination.     The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
             
Trading of securities issued    

We expect 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 (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the underwriter informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed a Current Report on Form 8-K containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, an additional Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option.

 

 

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

 

    No trading of the units or the underlying Class A common stock and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.
Exercise of the warrants     The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering.     The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.
             

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Election to remain an investor     We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account 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 us to pay our franchise and income taxes, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a stockholder vote. 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. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. 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. If, however, we hold a stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. 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.     A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued.
             

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Business combination deadline     If we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months or during any Extension Period from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.     If a business combination has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors.
             
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a     If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder (including our affiliates), 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 Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell any Excess Shares in open market transactions.     Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination.
             

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Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights     We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders or up to two business days prior to the initial vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights.     In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership.
             

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Release of funds     Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise and income tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within the required timeframe (subject to the requirements of applicable law). On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us, less amounts released to a separate account controlled by the trustee for disbursal to redeeming stockholders. We will use these funds 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 underwriter its deferred underwriting 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.     The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

Competition

 

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic business combinations. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation may give others with greater resources an advantage in pursuing the initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.

 

Facilities

 

Our executive offices are located at 650 California Street, Suite 2700, San Francisco, California 94108 and our telephone number is (628) 210-6937.

 

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Employees

 

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

 

Periodic Reporting and Financial Information

 

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

 

We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential targets we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

 

We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination. 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 are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

We 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 aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 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.

 

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 (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equal or exceed $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30th.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

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There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

Executive Officers and Directors

Name     Age     Position
Michael Cagney     49     Chairman of the Board of Directors
Christopher D. Davies     55     Chief Executive Officer and Director
Asiff Hirji     54     President
Thomas J. Milani     32     Chief Financial Officer
David Chao     54     Director Nominee
David J. Miller     61     Director Nominee
Annette L. Nazareth     65     Director Nominee

 

Michael Cagney will serve as our Chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Cagney has been a member of the Board of Directors of Figure and has served as Figure’s CEO since its inception in March 2018. From 2011 to 2017, Mr. Cagney was CEO and Chairman of the Board of SoFi, a technology and financial services company. From 2006 to 2016, Mr. Cagney served as Managing Partner of Cabezon Investment Group, a hedge fund manager. From 2010 to 2016, Mr. Cagney served as Chairman of ReFlow, a technology and financial services company. Mr. Cagney has a BA, Economics (1993) and a MS, Applied Economics and Finance (1994) from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a MS, Management (2011) from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

 

We believe that Mr. Cagney’s significant experience in financial services and technology, public and private market investment experience, financial acumen and business industry contacts make him uniquely qualified to lead our Board. 

 

Christopher D. Davies will serve as our Chief Executive Officer and a Director. Mr. Davies is currently the Head of Lending for Figure. Previously, he served as Head of Global Mort-gage and CEO of CitiMortgage at Citibank, where he was responsible for mortgage sales and fulfillment across the North America, Capital Markets, International Mortgages and Corp Holdings divisions, a role he left in October 2019. Mr. Davies joined Citi in March 2014 as Head of Mortgage Originations in North America and of Corp Holdings. Prior to joining Citi, Mr. Davies held a number of executive positions at leading financial institutions. From 2012 through 2014, he served as CEO of QBE First, a commercial and personal insurance company. Mr. Davies also served as President of Capital One Home Loans (2009-2012), where he built a stand-alone mortgage servicing operation and managed a $50 billion servicing and as-set portfolio. From 2007 through 2009, Mr. Davies was the CEO and Vice Chairman of LendingTree where he provided strategic direction for all aspects of the country’s leading online lending exchange. Before joining Lending Tree, Mr. Davies had an extensive career at Wachovia (1988-2006), where he served most recently as CEO of Wachovia Mortgage Corp. He has served as an Executive Board member for Clemson University Business School and an OCC expert speaker on mortgage industry best practices for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. He holds a B.S. in Financial Management from Clemson University.

 

We believe that Mr. Davies’ significant public and private market investment and management experience and financial expertise make him well qualified to sit on our board.

 

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Asiff Hirji will serve as our President. Mr. Hirji is the President of Figure, where he runs the company and is focused on scaling the core lending and banking businesses, expanding internationally and launching new products. Mr. Hirji was formerly President & Chief Operating Officer of Coinbase, the world’s leading crypto currency company. Prior to Coinbase, he was an investor and advisor in the private equity and venture capital spaces, including as an operating partner at Andreessen Horowitz focusing on scaling portfolio companies, and as a Senior Advisor with Bain Capital and Advent International, helping to drive their technology investment efforts. From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Hirji was Chief Restructuring Officer of HP reporting to CEO Meg Whitman, where he led a global $14 billion, 90,000 employee business serving most of the Fortune 500 companies. From 2007 to 2013, Mr. Hirji was a Partner with TPG Capital, where he helped lead investing efforts in Financial Services, Technology, Media and E-commerce. From 2003 to 2007, Mr. Hirji was an executive officer of TD Ameritrade, where he served successively as CIO, COO, and then President, helping to build the company into the world’s largest online broker. Prior to TD Ameritrade, Mr. Hirji was a Partner at Bain & Co. and a leader of their IT and Financial Services practices. Before Bain, Mr. Hirji was President and Chief Technology Officer for Netfolio, an online investment advisor start-up. He was also a founding member and Partner of the Mitchell Madison Group, a global strategic consultancy that specializes in Financial Services and Technology. Mr. Hirji also serves on the boards of Nubank and Forge, is a former public board member of Advent Software and Citrix Systems Inc., and served on the boards of Saxo Bank, TES Global, RentPath, and Eze Software. Mr. Hirji has also taught a highly rated MBA course on Private Equity at the University of Berkeley’s, Haas School of Business, where he now guest lectures. Mr. Hirji began his career at IBM Labs as a software engineer. Mr. Hirji received an MBA with honors from the University of Western Ontario, and his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Calgary.

 

Thomas J. Milani will serve as our Chief Financial Officer. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Figure, and has been with the company since its inception in January 2018. At Figure, Mr. Milani heads up finance, accounting, capital markets and treasury management. Previously, Mr. Milani was employed by SoFi from 2016 to 2018 where he headed up the New Products Group. He also led the acquisition of ZenBanx, Inc., which facilitated SoFi’s entry into the digital banking space. Prior to SoFi, Mr. Milani was an investment professional at Apollo Global Management from 2015 to 2016. At Apollo, Mr. Milani focused on corporate strategy as well as investing in assets and companies in the lending, specialty finance and financial technology space. Prior to Apollo, Mr. Milani was an investment banker at Sandler O’Neill and BMO Capital Markets covering the financial institutions space. In these roles, Mr. Milani advised on mergers & acquisitions and raised equity and debt capital for companies including specialty lenders, financial technology companies, exchanges, depositories, insurance companies and asset managers. Mr. Milani graduated from Villanova University in 2011 with a Bachelors in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Real Estate.

 

David Chao will be appointed a director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Chao has served and currently serves as Co-founder and General Partner at DCM, a venture capital firm since 1996. Mr. Chao also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of 51job, Inc. (NASDAQ: JOBS), a human resource solutions provider, and currently serves on the boards of directors of several privately held companies, including Figure Technologies, Inc. From September 2016 to December 2020, Mr. Chao served as a director on the board of Bill.com (NYSE: BILL). Mr. Chao holds a B.A. in Economics and East Asian Studies from Brown University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

 

We believe Mr. Chao’s significant public and private market investment experience and financial expertise make him well qualified to sit on our board.

 

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David J. Miller will be appointed a director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Miller is a retired senior executive and currently serves on five company boards, where he holds various positions, including Chairman of J.G. Wentworth, Chair of the Compensation Nomination and Governance Committee of Lombard International Assurance and Stonemor Inc., Chairman of the Compensation Committee of Ellington Residential Mortgage and is a Board Member of Prima Insurance. Mr. Miller served as a Senior Advisor to the Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Fund from 2015 until 2018. Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Miller served as CEO and Chairman of JGWPT Holdings, LLC (the holding company for J.G. Wentworth, LLC and Peachtree). Prior to joining J.G. Wentworth. Mr. Miller operated his own insurance consulting business. Prior to that, he was Executive Vice-President responsible for Ace Group's International Accident and Health Insurance Business. Prior to Ace Group, Mr. Miller was President and CEO of Kemper Auto and Home Insurance (KAH), a joint venture between Mr. Miller and Kemper, which sold auto and homeowner's insurance via direct response and the Internet. Starting as the only employee, in three years Mr. Miller built KAH into one of the largest sellers of auto insurance on the internet at that time. Mr. Miller sold his interest in KAH late in 2000. Prior to Kemper, Mr. Miller was Chief Operating Officer of Providian Direct Insurance. Mr. Miller began his insurance career with Progressive Insurance where he held various positions over his seven-year career, including Division Controller, Senior Product Manager and National Customer Manager. Mr. Miller has a BSEE in electrical engineering from Duke University and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Miller was previously a member of the NYSE.

 

 

We believe Mr. Miller’s significant public and private market investment experience and financial expertise make him well qualified to sit on our board.

 

Annette L. Nazareth will be appointed a director upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. She is currently a Senior Counsel at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. From September 2008 to December 2020, Ms. Nazareth was a partner of Davis Polk and headed the firm’s Trading and Markets practice. From 1998 to 2008, Ms. Nazareth served at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. She was a Commissioner of the SEC from 2005 to 2008. Prior to 2005 she served as the Director of the Division of Market Regulation (now the Division of Trading and Markets), as interim Director of the Division of Investment Management, and as Senior Counsel to Chairman Arthur Leavitt. Prior to joining the SEC, Ms. Nazareth served in senior positions at several investment banks, including as a Managing Director of Salomon Smith Barney from 1997-1998, as a Senior Vice President of Lehman Brothers from 1994-1997, and as a Managing Director of Mabon Securities and its predecessor entity, Mabon Nugent & Co., from 1986 to 1994. She began her career at Davis Polk upon graduation from law school. Ms. Nazareth serves on several not-for-profit boards, including: Urban Institute (Chair, Real Estate Committee); Watson Institute of Brown University; Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation; St. Albans School of Public Service; Board of Visitors of Columbia Law School, Advisory Board of the Brown University Executive Master in Cybersecurity program; and the SEC Historical Society (President). She is also a member of the American Law Institute and serves on the Advisory Board of Bitfury. Ms. Nazareth previously served on the boards of Brown University (Chair, Audit Committee); National Cathedral School (Chair, Audit Committee); and Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys. Ms. Nazareth graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 1981, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and Brown University in 1978, where she graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

 

We believe Ms. Nazareth’s significant public and private legal, regulatory and business experience makes her well qualified to sit on our board.

 

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

 

We will have five directors, with each director holding office for a two-year term. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our shares of Class B common stock. In addition, prior to the completion of our initial business combination, holders of a majority of our shares of Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason.

 

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretaries and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors. David J. Miller has been appointed to our board of directors pursuant to the Limited Liability Company Agreement of our sponsor entered into between Figure and Ellington in connection with this initial public offering.

 

Director Independence

 

NYSE listing rules require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We will have three “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing rules and applicable SEC rules. Our board has determined that each of  David Chao, David J. Miller and Annette L. Nazareth are independent directors under applicable SEC and NYSE listing rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Officer and Director Compensation

 

In no event will our existing officers or directors be paid any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation by the company prior to, or in connection with

 

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any services rendered for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. We do not have a policy that prohibits our sponsor, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, from negotiating for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by a target business. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.

 

After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. These fees will be disclosed to stockholders in accordance with applicable rules and regulations, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.

 

We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management team’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a nominating and corporate governance committee and a compensation committee. Each of our audit committee, our nominating and corporate governance committee and our compensation committee will be composed solely of independent directors.

 

Audit Committee

 

Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. The members of our audit committee will be David Chao, David J. Miller and Annette L. Nazareth. David J. Miller will serve as chairperson of the audit committee.

 

Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that David Chao qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.

 

We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:

 

assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and the independent registered public accounting firm;
the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;

pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;

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setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations;
setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures, (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence;
meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”;
reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.

 

Compensation Committee

 

Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our compensation committee are David Chao, David J. Miller and Annette L. Nazareth. David Chao will serve as chairperson of the compensation committee.

 

We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:

 

reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, if any is paid by us, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
reviewing and making recommendations on an annual basis to our board of directors with respect to (or approving, if such authority is so delegated by our board of directors) the compensation, if any is paid by us, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of our other officers;
reviewing on an annual basis our executive compensation policies and plans;
implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

 

The 20,000 shares of Class B common stock transferred to each of our independent directors consist of shares of Class B common stock that were purchased by our sponsor. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation and in connection with potentially providing financing or other investments in connection with our initial business combination, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.

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The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NYSE and the SEC.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

We will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. David Chao, David J. Miller and Annette L. Nazareth will serve as members of our nominating and corporate governance committee. Under the NYSE listing standards, all members of the nominating and corporate governance committee must be independent. David Chao, David J. Miller and Annette L. Nazareth are independent, and Annette L. Nazareth will chair the nominating and corporate governance committee.

 

We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the principal functions of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:

 

• identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;

 

•  developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;

 

•  coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and

 

•  reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.

 

The charter also will provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.

 

Director Nominations

 

Our nominating and corporate governance committee will recommend to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of the stockholders. We have not formally established any specific minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders.

 

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

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

 

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees, a copy of which will be available on our website following the closing of this offering. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Our officers, directors and any of their respective affiliates may sponsor or form, and, in the case of individuals, serve as a director or officer of, other blank check companies similar to Figure Acquisition Corp. I during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or to complete our initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

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In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and shares of Class L common stock if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable or assignable by until the earlier of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported 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 (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the common stock underlying such warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable by our sponsor or its respective permitted transferees until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor and officers and directors may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors 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.

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 were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Our sponsor, officers or directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a business combination and financing arrangements as we may obtain loans from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

 

The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.

 

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

 

the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;
the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and
it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

 

As a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our

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amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

 

Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:

 

Individual     Entity     Entity’s Business     Affiliation
Michael Cagney     Figure Technologies, Inc.     Financial Technology    

Co-Founder and

Chief Executive Officer 

                   
Asiff Hirji     Figure Technologies, Inc.     Financial Technology     President
      Nubank     Banking     Advisory Board Member
      Lefteris Acquisition Corp.     SPAC     Director
      Forge     Financial Technology     Director
                   
Christopher D. Davies     Figure Technologies, Inc.     Financial Technology     Head of Lending
                   
Thomas J. Milani     Figure Technologies, Inc.     Financial Technology     Chief Financial Officer
                   

David Chao

 

   

DCM

51job, Inc.

Figure Technologies, Inc.

   

Venture Capital

Human Resources 

Financial Technology

   

Director
Chairman
Director

                   
David J. Miller    

J.G. Wentworth

Lombard International Assurance

Stonemor Inc.

Ellington Residential Mortgage

Prima Assicurazioni

   

Financial Services
Wealth Structuring

Cemeteries and Funeral Homes

REIT

Insurance Agency

   

Chairman
Director
Director
Director
Director

 

The individuals listed in the table above may also be affiliated with and/or owe fiduciary duties to or have contractual obligations to affiliates of the listed entities, including subsidiaries, portfolio companies and other investments and ventures of the listed entities.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination or subsequent transaction with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington, or our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination or, subject to certain exceptions, subsequent material transactions with a company that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington, or our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors or a committee thereof, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such initial business combination or transaction is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, each of our officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination.

 

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or our stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.

 

We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification. We will purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our

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officers and directors. Except with respect to any public shares they may acquire in this offering or thereafter (in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination), our officers and directors have agreed to waive (and any other persons who may become an officer or director prior to the initial business combination will also be required to waive) any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and not to seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever, including with respect to such indemnification (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares).

 

These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

We believe that these provisions, the directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.

 

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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:

 

each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;
each of our officers and directors that beneficially owns shares of our common stock; and
all our officers and directors as a group.

 

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

 

In December 2020, our sponsor purchased 4,107,143 shares of Class B common stock and 8,214,286 shares of Class L common stock for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share. In January 2021, the sponsor surrendered its Class B and Class L shares, and we reissued to the sponsor 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock, with no return of capital or payment by the sponsor, resulting in the sponsor holding 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock with an effective purchase price of approximately $0.002 per share. The founder shares include up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. Additionally, up to 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock is subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. The per share purchase price of the Class B and Class L common stock was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the aggregate number of Class B and Class L shares issued.

 

The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our common stock owned by our initial stockholders before and after this offering. The post-offering percentages assume that the underwriter does not exercise its over-allotment option, that our sponsor forfeits 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock, and that there are 35,714,285 shares of our common stock, consisting of (i) 25,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock, (ii) 2,777,777 shares of our Class B common stock issued and outstanding after this offering and (iii) 7,936,508 shares of our Class L common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.

 

      Before Offering       After Offering  
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)    

Number of Shares

Beneficially  

Owned(2) 

     

Approximate

Percentage of

Outstanding

Common Stock

     

Number of Shares  

Beneficially

Owned(2) 

     

Approximate

Percentage of  

Outstanding  

Common Stock 

 
Fintech Acquisition LLC (3)     2,777,777       100 %     2,777,777       10 %
Michael Cagney                        
Asiff Hirji                        
Christopher D. Davies                        
Thomas J. Milani                        
David Chao     20,000       *       20,000       *  
David J. Miller     20,000       *       20,000       *  
Annette L. Nazareth     20,000       *       20,000       *  
All officers and directors as a group (7 individuals)     60,000       *%     60,000       *%

 

* less than 1%
(1) Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Figure Technologies, Inc., 650 California Street, Suite 2700, San Francisco, California 94108.

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(2) Interests shown consist solely of shares of Class B common stock and exclude shares of Class L common stock. The shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities.”  The Class L common stock is convertible into shares of Class A common stock after our initial business combination only to the extent certain triggering events occur prior to the 10th anniversary of our initial business combination.
 (3) The shares reported above are held in the name of our sponsor. Our sponsor is managed by a board of managers consisting of Michael Cagney and Thomas J. Milani As a result, they may be deemed to have or share beneficial ownership of the Class B shares held directly by our sponsor. Each person disclaims any beneficial ownership of the reported shares other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest they may have therein, directly or indirectly.

 

Immediately after this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 30% of the then-issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming (x) they do not purchase any units in this offering and (y) no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option). Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any units in this offering. Because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions, including approval of our initial business combination.

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us pursuant to which they have agreed to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.

 

Our sponsor and our officers and non-independent directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.

 

Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares, Shares of Class L Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants

 

The Class B common stock, Class L common stock, private placement warrants and any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion or exercise thereof, are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor and each of our officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (i) in the case of the founder shares until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported 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 (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, and (ii) in the case of the shares of Class L common stock for any reason and (iii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the Class A common stock underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, our sponsor, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, as well as affiliates of such members and funds and accounts advised by such members or any limited partners of any such funds that are invested in our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to such individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally

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purchased; (f) to an entity that is an affiliate of the holder; (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (h) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (i) in the event of our liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization 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 subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; or (j) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) or (h) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).

 

Registration and Stockholder Rights

 

Our sponsor will have rights to require us to register any of our securities held by them for resale under the Securities Act pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, the holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

In addition, pursuant to the registration and stockholder rights agreement, our sponsor, upon consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors.

 

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

In December 2020, our sponsor purchased 4,107,143 shares of Class B common stock and 8,214,286 shares of Class L common stock for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share. In January 2021, the sponsor surrendered its Class B and Class L shares, and we reissued to the sponsor 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock, with no return of capital or payment by the sponsor, resulting in the sponsor holding 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock with an effective purchase price of approximately $0.002 per share. The founder shares include up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. Additionally, up to 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock is subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full.

 

The number of shares of Class B and Class L common stock issued was determined based on the expectation that such shares would represent 30% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering. Up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised.

 

Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,666,667 warrants (or 5,166,667 warrants if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate, or $7,750,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur concurrently with the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at between $7,000,000 and $7,750,000, depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.

 

As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management-Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any 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 business combination opportunity to such other entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

 

No compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to officers or directors prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We do not have a policy that prohibits our sponsor, officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, from negotiating for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by a target business. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.

 

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2020, we had $0 outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The

 

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loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the estimated $1,000,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). The value of our sponsor’s interest in this transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.

 

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 an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the 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 will be used for such repayment. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 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 for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers or directors 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.

 

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.

 

We will enter into a registration and stockholder rights agreement with respect to the registration for resale under the Securities Act of the private placement warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the foregoing, and upon conversion of the founder shares and shares of Class L common stock. The registration and stockholder rights agreement is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Registration and Stockholder Rights.”

 

Related Party Transactions Policy

 

We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company.

 

In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. We also require each of our directors and officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

 

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

 

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors

 

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or a committee thereof, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. No finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor, officers or directors, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

 

Repayment of a loan of up to an aggregate of $300,000 made to us by our sponsor to cover offering related and organizational expenses;
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and
Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans have not been determined nor have any written arrangements been entered into with respect thereto.

 

Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our authorized capital stock will consist of 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 15,000,000 shares of Class L common stock, $0.0001 par value and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.

 

Units

 

Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable 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. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.

 

We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless the underwriter informs us of its 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 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 Class A common stock and warrants.

 

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 which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days after the date of this prospectus. If the underwriter’s 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 underwriter’s over-allotment option.

 

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

 

Common Stock

 

Upon the closing of this offering, 35,714,285 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 416,667 shares of Class B and 1,190,476 shares Class L common stock by our sponsor), consisting of:

 

25,000,000 shares of Class A common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering; and
2,777,777 shares of Class B common stock and 7,936,508 shares of Class L common stock held by our initial stockholders.

 

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 public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. Each of our directors will hold office for a two-year term. 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 law or the applicable rules of the NYSE then in effect, holders of our founder shares and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share of Class A common stock entitling the holder to one vote per share and each founder share entitling the holder to a number of votes per founder share such that all of the founder shares in the aggregate would be entitled to cast a number of

 

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votes equal to 20% of the combined voting power of the founder shares and holders of our public shares voting together as a single class. The shares of Class L common stock shall have no voting rights.

 

Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable NYSE rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

 

Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to only 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, if we were to enter into an initial business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such an initial business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of Class A common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholder vote on the initial business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.

 

In accordance with NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until 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.

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon (i) the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. Such redemptions, if any, will be made at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the event triggering the right to redeem, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, 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 commission we will pay to the underwriter. Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, or a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as described above. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a stockholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders

 

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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.

 

However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such 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. 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.

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering, which we refer to as the Excess Shares. However, we will not restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our stockholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the initial business combination. As a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our founder shares, which are entitled to 20% of the combined voting power of the founders shares and public shares voting together as a single class, we would need only 9,375,000, or 37.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised) or 1,562,500, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 25,000,000 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 only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised, in addition to the founder shares, we would not need any of the 25,000,000 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. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any

 

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founder shares and shares of Class L common stock held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers or directors 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 if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.

 

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after an initial business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.

 

Founder Shares

 

The shares of Class B common stock are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, any shares of Class L common stock and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and shares of Class L common stock held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, (iii) the Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein, and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor and each of our officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote any founder shares and held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination.

 

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at 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 Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 10% of the sum of (i) the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering, plus (ii) all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any units or warrants issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us). We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B common stock at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A

 

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stockholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock. If such adjustment is not waived, the issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B common stock, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A common stock. If such adjustment is waived, the issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our common stock. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

 

With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, including their respective limited partners) each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported 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 (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

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 public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our Class B common stock may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by a majority of our Class B common stock. 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 law, holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.

 

Class L Common Stock

 

Our sponsor owns 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock (up to 7,936,508 shares of Class L common stock of which are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters' over-allotment option is not exercised in full).

 

Except as required by law or the applicable rules of the NYSE then in effect, the Class L common stock shall have no voting rights.

 

If between the consummation of our initial business combination and the ten year anniversary of our initial business combination the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds each of the share targets described below, one-fourth of the shares of our Class L common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock on a 1-for-1 basis (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like):

 

• $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "First Price Vesting");

 

• $15.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Second Price Vesting");

 

• $17.50 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Third Price Vesting"); and

 

• $20.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the "Fourth Price Vesting").

 

For example, if fifteen months following the consummation of our initial business combination the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $15.00 but does not exceed $17.50 for 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period, both the First Price Vesting and Second Price Vesting target achievements will be met, resulting in a total of 3,968,254 Class L Shares converting into 3,968,254 shares of Class A common stock,

 

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representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

In the event of any liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction consummated after our initial business combination ("Strategic Transaction") and before the one year anniversary of our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property at an effective price of at least $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (a "Qualifying Strategic Transaction"), all of the shares of Class L common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock at a ratio such that the sum of the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares plus the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all of the shares of Class L common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) of the sum of the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding upon the consummation of this offering, including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the shares of Class L common stock, plus the sum of the total number of shares of Class A common stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination (net of any redemptions of shares of Class A common stock by public stockholders), excluding any forward purchase securities and any private placement shares, including any private placement shares issued to our sponsor, members of our founding team or any of their affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans, and any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination. For example, if at any time before the one year anniversary of our initial business combination we consummate a Qualifying Strategic Transaction – i.e., a Strategic Transaction involving the right of Class A stockholders to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property at an effective price of at least $15.00 per share of Class A common stock – then all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 3,968,254 shares of Class A common stock. As a result, the sum of the Class B shares owned by our sponsor at the time of this offering and the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time of the Qualifying Strategic Transaction will equal 20% of the sum of (i) the total Class A shares issued in this offering, (ii) the Class B shares owned by our sponsor at the time of this offering, and (iii) the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time of the Qualifying Strategic Transaction (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

If a Strategic Transaction occurs after the one year anniversary of our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property with an effective price of at least $10.00 per share of Class A common stock, all of the then-outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock as follows:

 

• if (and only if) the First Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $10.00 per share and less than or equal to $12.50 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $10.00 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

• if (and only if) the Second Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $12.50 per share and less than or equal to $15.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $12.50 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

• if (and only if) the Third Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $15.00 per share and less than or equal to $17.50 per share (a "Third Strategic Transaction Price Vesting Event"), all of the then outstanding shares of

 

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Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting or Second Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $15.00 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

• if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $17.50 per share and less than or equal to $20.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $17.50 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

• if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $20.00, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into one share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

For example, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $12.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting thresholds shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 1,984,127 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting.

 

In contrast, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 3,968,254 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting.

 

Further, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $17.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 5,952,381 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting.

 

Lastly, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $18.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, the First Price Vesting target shall have been met, but none of the Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 4,365,079 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting, and 396,825 shares associated with the Fourth Price Vesting. Together with the 1,984,127 shares of Class L common stock already vested and converted to shares of Class A common stock associated with the First Price Vesting, a total of 6,349,206 shares of Class L common stock will have vested and converted into shares of Class A common stock. 

 

Preferred Stock

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering.

 

Redeemable Warrants

 

Public Stockholders’ Warrants

 

Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No

 

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fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if shares of our Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361 per whole warrant. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

 

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00. 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 a price of $0.01 per warrant;
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and
if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the

 

warrant holders (which we refer to as the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant

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as described under the heading “-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Anti-Dilution Adjustments”).

 

We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. 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.

 

We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. Any such exercise would not be done on a “cashless” basis and would require the exercising warrant holder to pay the exercise price for each warrant being exercised. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “-Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

 

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding 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 determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock (as defined below in the immediately following paragraph) except as otherwise described below;
if, and only if, the Reference Value (as defined above under the heading “-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00”) equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Anti-Dilution Adjustments”); and
if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “ -Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Anti-Dilution Adjustments”), the private placement warrants are also concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above.

 

Beginning on the date the notice of redemption is given until the warrants are redeemed or exercised, holders who elect to exercise their warrants may only do so on a cashless basis. The numbers in the table below represent the number of shares of Class A common stock that a warrant holder will receive upon such cashless exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined for these purposes based on the volume-weighted average price of our Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the warrants, each as set forth in the table below. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the ten-trading day period described above ends.

 

Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A common stock shall include a security other than Class A common stock into which the Class A common stock have been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination. The numbers in the table below will not be adjusted when determining the number of Class A common stock to be issued upon exercise of the warrants if we are not the surviving entity following our initial business combination.

 

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The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant or the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted as set forth under the heading “-Anti-Dilution Adjustments” below. If the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant is adjusted, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the exercise price of the warrant after such adjustment and the denominator of which is the price of the warrant immediately prior to such adjustment. In such an event, the number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted by multiplying such share amounts by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant as so adjusted. If the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted, (a) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the fifth paragraph under the heading “-Anti-dilution adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price as set forth under the heading “ -Anti-dilution adjustments” and the denominator of which is $10.00 and (b) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the second paragraph under the heading “- Anti-dilution adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price less the decrease in the exercise price of a warrant pursuant to such exercise price adjustment.

 

Redemption Date

(period to expiration of warrants)

    Fair Market Value of Class A Common Stock
  ≤10.00     11.00     12.00     13.00     14.00     15.00     16.00     17.00     ≥18.00
60 months     0.261     0.281     0.297     0.311     0.324     0.337     0.348     0.358     0.361
57 months     0.257     0.277     0.294     0.310     0.324     0.337     0.348     0.358     0.361
54 months     0.252     0.272     0.291     0.307     0.322     0.335     0.347     0.357     0.361
51 months     0.246     0.268     0.287     0.304     0.320     0.333     0.346     0.357     0.361
48 months     0.241     0.263     0.283     0.301     0.317     0.332     0.344     0.356     0.361
45 months     0.235     0.258     0.279     0.298     0.315     0.330     0.343     0.356     0.361
42 months     0.228     0.252     0.274     0.294     0.312     0.328     0.342     0.355     0.361
39 months     0.221     0.246     0.269     0.290     0.309     0.325     0.340     0.354     0.361
36 months     0.213     0.239     0.263     0.285     0.305     0.323     0.339     0.353     0.361
33 months     0.205     0.232     0.257     0.280     0.301     0.320     0.337     0.352     0.361
30 months     0.196     0.224     0.250     0.274     0.297     0.316     0.335     0.351     0.361
27 months     0.185     0.214     0.242     0.268     0.291     0.313     0.332     0.350     0.361
24 months     0.173     0.204     0.233     0.260     0.285     0.308     0.329     0.348     0.361
21 months     0.161     0.193     0.223     0.252     0.279     0.304     0.326     0.347     0.361
18 months     0.146     0.179     0.211     0.242     0.271     0.298     0.322     0.345     0.361
15 months     0.130     0.164     0.197     0.230     0.262     0.291     0.317     0.342     0.361
12 months     0.111     0.146     0.181     0.216     0.250     0.282     0.312     0.339     0.361
9 months     0.090     0.125     0.162     0.199     0.237     0.272     0.305     0.336     0.361
6 months     0.065     0.099     0.137     0.178     0.219     0.259     0.296     0.331     0.361
3 months     0.034     0.065     0.104     0.150     0.197     0.243     0.286     0.326     0.361
0 months     -     -     0.042     0.115     0.179     0.233     0.281     0.323     0.361

 

The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued for each warrant exercised will be determined by

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a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.277 shares of Class A common stock for each whole warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.298 shares of Class A common stock for each whole warrant. In no event will the warrants be exercisable on a cashless basis in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per whole warrant (subject to adjustment). Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any Class A common stock.

 

This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in some other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of warrants for cash (other than the private placement warrants) when the trading price for the Class A common stock exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding warrants to be redeemed when the Class A common stock is trading at or above $10.00 per share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Class A common stock is below the exercise price of the warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the warrants without the warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed. We will be required to pay the applicable redemption price to warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants and pay the redemption price to the warrant holders.

 

As stated above, we can redeem the warrants when the shares of Class A common stock are trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the warrants when the shares of Class A common stock are trading at a price below the exercise price of the warrants, this could result in the warrant holders receiving fewer shares of Class A common stock than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their warrants for shares of Class A common stock if and when such shares of Class A common stock were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.

 

No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than Class A common stock pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than Class A common stock, the Company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.

 

Redemption procedures. A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates or any person subject to aggregation with such person for the purposes of the “beneficial ownership” test under Section 13 of the Exchange Act, or any “group” (within the meaning of Section 13 of the Exchange Act) of which such person is or may be deemed to be a part), to

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the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.

 

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Anti-dilution adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the historical fair market value (as defined below) will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon conversion or exercise and (ii) “historical fair market value” means the volume weighted average price of Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.

 

In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends (initially defined as up to $0.50 per share in a 365 day period), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.

 

If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.

 

Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

 

In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, (i) in the case of any such issuance to Figure, Ellington, our sponsor or any of their respective affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by Figure, Ellington, our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance, and (ii) to the extent that such issuance is made to Figure, Ellington or any of their respective affiliates, without taking into account the transfer of founder shares or private placement warrants (including if such transfer is effectuated as a surrender to us and subsequent reissuance by us) by our sponsor, Figure, or Ellington in connection with such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value is below $9.20 per

 

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share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” and “-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants in order to determine and realize the option value component of the warrant. This formula is to compensate the warrant holder for the loss of the option value portion of the warrant due to the requirement that the warrant holder exercise the warrant within 30 days of the event. The Black-Scholes model is an accepted pricing model for estimating fair market value where no quoted market price for an instrument is available.

 

The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.

 

The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one (1) vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by holders of Class A common stock.

 

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

 

We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim.

 

See “Risk Factors – Risk Relating to our Securities – Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which

 

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could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.

 

Private Placement Warrants

 

The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders- Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares, Shares of Class L Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us (except as described below under “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. Except as described below, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor or its 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.

 

Except as described above under “-Public Stockholders’ Warrants-Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00,” if holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. 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 or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether they will be affiliated with us following an initial 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 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.

 

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. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such working capital loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.

 

Our sponsor has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of any of these warrants) until the date that is 30 days after the date we complete our initial business combination, except that, among other limited exceptions as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders- Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares, Shares of Class L Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants” made to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor.

 

Dividends

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be

 

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dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial conditions subsequent to completion of an initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

 

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

 

The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.

 

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of 65% of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own founder shares on an as-converted basis representing 10% of our Class A common stock upon the closing of this offering, but which founder shares represent 20% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock immediately following completion of this offering, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that:

 

If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;
Prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on our initial business combination;
Although we do not intend to enter into an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with Figure, Ellington or our sponsor, officers or directors, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will, to the extent required by applicable law or based upon the direction of our board of directors or a committee thereof, obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
If a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act; whether or not we maintain our registration under the our Exchange Act or our listing on the NYSE, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above;

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Our initial business combination will be approved by a majority of our independent directors;
Our initial business combination must occur with one or more businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting fees and taxes payable) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination;
If our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; and
We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions.

 

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

 

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

 

prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or
at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 662∕3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

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

 

Under certain circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring our company to negotiate in advance with our board of directors because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if our board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions which stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the sponsor, its members and its other affiliates, any of its respective direct or indirect transferees who hold at least 15% of our outstanding common stock after such transfer and any group as to which such persons are party to, do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.

 

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

 

Exclusive forum for certain lawsuits

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, 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 may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for any action arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe this provision will benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

 

Special meeting of stockholders

 

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

 

Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations

 

Our bylaws provide for advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of

 

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directors or a committee of our board of directors. In order for any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Our bylaws will also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. Our bylaws will allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings, which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of us.

 

Action by written consent

 

Subsequent to the consummation of the offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our common stockholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders other than with respect to our Class B common stock.

 

Class B common stock consent right

 

For so long as any shares of Class B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B common stock were present and voted.

 

Securities Eligible for Future Sale

 

Immediately after the consummation of this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option), we will have 35,714,285 (or 41,071,429 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) shares of common stock outstanding.

 

Of these shares, the 25,000,000 shares (or 28,750,000 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) sold in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

 

All of the remaining 10,714,285 shares (or 12,321,429 shares if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) and all 4,666,667 private placement warrants (or 5,166,667 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and the shares of Class B common stock, Class L common stock, Class A common stock issued upon conversion of the Class L common stock and private placement warrants are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be entitled to registration rights as more fully described below under “-Registration and Stockholder Rights.”

 

Rule 144

 

Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.

 

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Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:

 

1% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock then outstanding, which will equal 250,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 287,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full); or
the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

 

Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

 

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

 

Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:

 

the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;
the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and materials required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and
at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

 

As a result, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.

 

Registration and Stockholder Rights

 

Our sponsor will have rights to require us to register any of our securities held by them for resale under the Securities Act pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, the holders of the founder shares, shares of Class L common Stock, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Listing of Securities

 

We have applied to list our units, Class A common stock and warrants on the NYSE under the symbols “FACA.U,” “FACA” and “FACA WS,” respectively. We expect that our units will begin trading on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on the NYSE.

 

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U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

The following discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because the components of a unit are separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A common stock and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A common stock and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities that are held as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes and only to holders who purchase units in this offering.

 

This discussion is a summary only and does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to the alternative minimum tax, the Medicare tax on certain investment income and the different consequences that may apply if you are subject to special rules that apply to certain types of investors, including but not limited to:

 

our sponsor, founders, officers or directors;
financial institutions or financial services entities;
broker-dealers;
governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
regulated investment companies;
S corporations;
real estate investment trusts;
expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;
persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more (by vote or value) of our shares;
insurance companies;
dealers or traders subject to a mark-to-market method of tax accounting with respect to the securities;
accrual-method taxpayers who are required under Section 451(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), to recognize income for U.S. federal income tax purposes no later than when such income is taken into account in applicable financial statements;
persons holding the securities as part of a “straddle,” hedge, integrated transaction or similar transaction;
U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar;
partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities; and
tax-exempt entities.

 

If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or other pass-through entity holds our units, shares of Class A common stock or warrants, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner in such partnership or equityholder in such pass-through entity generally will depend upon the status of the partner or equityholder, upon the activities of the partnership or other pass-through entity and upon certain determinations made at the partner or equityholder level. Accordingly, we urge partners in partnerships (including entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and equityholders in other pass-through entities considering the purchase of our securities to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax considerations of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our securities by such partnership or pass-through entity.

 

This discussion is based on the Code, and administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and proposed Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, which are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis, and changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes).

 

We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.

 

THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. WE URGE PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS

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TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.

 

Personal Holding Company Status

 

We could be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than fifty percent of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least sixty percent of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).

 

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least sixty percent of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than fifty percent of our stock may be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not be a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently twenty percent, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

 

Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit

 

No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant to acquire one share of our Class A common stock. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant should be the holder’s tax basis in such share or one-third of one redeemable warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of shares of Class A common stock and warrants constituting units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

The foregoing treatment of the shares of Class A common stock and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

U.S. Holders

 

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This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. holder.” A U.S. holder is a beneficial owner of our units, shares of Class A common stock or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
a corporation (or other entity taxable as a corporation) organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or
a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

 

Taxation of Distributions. If we pay distributions in cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our stock or rights to acquire our stock) to U.S. holders of shares of our Class A common stock, such distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders-Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below.

 

Dividends we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder generally will constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at preferential long-term capital gains rates. It is unclear whether the redemption rights prior to our initial business combination with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be. If the holding period requirements are not satisfied, then a corporation may not be able to qualify for the dividends received deduction and would have taxable income equal to the entire dividend amount, and a non-corporate U.S. holder may be subject to tax on such dividend at regular ordinary income tax rates instead of the preferential rate that applies to qualified dividend income.

 

Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants. Upon a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A common stock or warrants that is treated as a sale of such securities as described below, and including as a result of a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period, a U.S. holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the amount realized and the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in the Class A common stock or warrants. Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock or warrants so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Class A common stock is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or taxable disposition of the shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates. Long-term capital gains recognized by non-corporate U.S. holders will be eligible to be taxed at reduced rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

 

Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder is an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A common stock or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A common stock or the warrants based upon the then fair market values of the Class A common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock or warrants transferred in such disposition. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as

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discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A common stock or one-third of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for Class A common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Class A common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.

 

Redemption of Class A Common Stock. In the event that a U.S. holder’s Class A common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Common Stock” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s Class A common stock in an open market transaction (each of which we refer to as a “redemption”), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of common stock under the tests described below, the tax consequences to the U.S. holder will be the same as described under “U.S. Holders-Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of common stock, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “U.S. Holders-Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A common stock generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

 

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any stock the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Class A common stock must, among other requirements, be less than eighty percent of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares of our stock (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants). The redemption of the Class A common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption, including the application of the constructive ownership rules described above.

 

If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “U.S. Holders-Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Class A common stock will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.

 

Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. holder generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss as a result of the acquisition of common stock upon exercise of a warrant for cash. The U.S. holder’s tax basis in the share of our Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “-Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise

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price of such warrant. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, it is unclear whether the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant.

 

The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would equal the holder’s basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Class A common stock would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A common stock would include the holding period of the warrants exercised therefor.

 

It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a portion of the warrants to be exercised on a cashless basis could, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be deemed to have been surrendered in consideration for the exercise price of the remaining warrants, which would be deemed to be exercised. For this purpose, a U.S. holder would be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having an aggregate value equal to the exercise price for the number of warrants deemed exercised. The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise price of the warrants deemed exercised and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. Such gain or loss would be long-term or short-term depending on the U.S. Holder’s holding period in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. holder’s initial investment in the warrants deemed exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “-Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period would not include the period during which the U.S. holder held the warrant.

 

Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A common stock received, there can be no assurance as to which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.

 

If we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “-Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”

 

If we give notice of an intention to redeem warrants for $0.10 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants,” and a U.S. holder exercises its warrant on a cashless basis and receives the amount of Class A common stock as determined by reference to the table set forth thereunder, we intend to treat such exercise as a redemption of warrants for Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such redemption should be treated as a “recapitalization” within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(E) of the Code. Accordingly, a U.S. holder should not recognize any gain or loss on the redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock. A U.S. holder’s aggregate tax basis in the shares of Class A common stock received in the redemption generally should equal the U.S. holder’s aggregate tax basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period for the shares of Class A common stock received should include the U.S. holder’s holding period for the surrendered warrants. However, there is some uncertainty regarding this tax treatment and it is possible such a redemption could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized in a manner similar to that discussed above for a cashless exercise of warrants or otherwise characterized. Accordingly, a U.S. holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a redemption of warrants for shares of Class A common stock.

 

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Possible Constructive Distributions. The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events (including if we issue additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share), as discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment to the number of such shares or to such exercise price increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease in the exercise price of the warrant) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property, such as other securities, to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock, or as a result of the issuance of a stock dividend to holders of shares of our Class A common stock, in each case which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as a distribution. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest resulting from the adjustment. Generally, a U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrant would be increased to the extent any such constructive distribution is treated as a dividend.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number or a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

 

All U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

 

Non-U.S. Holders

 

This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, Class A common stock or warrants who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates);
a foreign corporation; or
an estate or trust that is not a U.S. holder;

 

but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you should consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership or sale or other disposition of our securities.

 

Taxation of Distributions. In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions, as described above under “U.S. holders-Possible Constructive Distributions”) we make to a Non-U.S. holder of shares of our Class A common stock or warrants, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of thirty percent, unless such Non-U.S. holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E). In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sales proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Class A common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the Non-U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock, which will be

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treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders-Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders-Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold fifteen percent of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.

 

Dividends we pay to a Non-U.S. holder that are effectively connected with such Non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if a tax treaty applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder) will generally not be subject to the thirty percent U.S. withholding tax, provided such Non-U.S. holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. holders. If the Non-U.S. holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of thirty percent (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).

 

Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants. A Non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:

 

the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the Non-U.S. holder within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the Non-U.S. holder); or
we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the Non-U.S. holder held our Class A common stock, and, in the case where shares of our Class A common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than five percent of our Class A common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such Non-U.S. holder’s holding period for the shares of our Class A common stock. There can be no assurance that our Class A common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.

 

Unless an applicable treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates as if the Non-U.S. holder were a United States resident. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a Non-U.S. holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a thirty percent rate (or lower treaty rate).

 

If the second bullet point above applies to a Non-U.S. holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Class A common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at a rate of fifteen percent of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds fifty percent of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” you are urged to consult your own tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.

 

Redemption of Class A Common Stock. The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. holder’s Class A common stock generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. holder’s Class A common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders-Redemption of Class A Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the Non-U.S. holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders-Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders-Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.

 

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Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a Non-U.S. holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, or the redemption of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities-Redeemable Warrants-Public Stockholders’ Warrants” (including if we give notice of an intention to redeem warrants for $0.10 as described in such section of this prospectus, and a Non-U.S. holder exercises its warrant on a cashless basis and receives the amount of Class A common stock as determined by reference to the table set forth thereunder, which exercise we intend to treat as a redemption of warrants for Class A common stock for U.S. federal income tax purposes), generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise, lapse or redemption of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. Holders-Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise or redemption of a warrant results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described below in “Non-U.S. Holders-Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding. Information returns will be filed with the IRS in connection with payments of dividends and the proceeds from a sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants. A Non-U.S. holder may have to comply with certification procedures to establish that it is not a United States person in order to avoid information reporting and backup withholding requirements. The certification procedures required to claim a reduced rate of withholding under a treaty generally will satisfy the certification requirements necessary to avoid the backup withholding as well.

 

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a Non-U.S. holder will be allowed as a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle such holder to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

 

All Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of information reporting and backup withholding to them.

 

FATCA Withholding Taxes. Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of thirty percent in certain circumstances on dividends in respect of our securities which are held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (2) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. authorities. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which our securities are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of our securities held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of thirty percent, unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. All prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our securities.

 

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UNDERWRITING

 

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement dated as of the date of this prospectus between us and the underwriter named below, we have agreed to sell to the underwriter, and the underwriter has agreed to purchase from us, the number of units shown opposite its name below:

 

Underwriter     Number of Units
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.      
Piper Sandler & Co.      
Total:     25,000,000

 

 

The term “underwriter” as used throughout this prospectus shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires.

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriter are subject to certain conditions precedent such as the receipt by the underwriter of officers’ certificates and legal opinions and approval of certain legal matters by its counsel. The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriter will purchase all of the units if any of them are purchased. We have agreed to indemnify the underwriter and certain of its controlling persons against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and to contribute to payments that the underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

 

The underwriter has advised us that, following the completion of this offering, they currently intend to make a market in the units as permitted by applicable laws and regulations. However, the underwriter is not obligated to do so, and the underwriter may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without notice in its sole discretion. Accordingly, no assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for the units, that you will be able to sell any of the units held by you at a particular time or that the prices that you receive when you sell will be favorable.

 

The underwriter is offering the units subject to its acceptance of the units from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriter reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part. In addition, the underwriter has advised us that they do not intend to confirm sales to any account over which they exercise discretionary authority.

 

Commission and Expenses

 

The underwriter has advised us that they propose to offer the units to the public at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus and to certain dealers, which may include the underwriter, at that price less a concession not in excess of $       per unit. After the offering, the initial public offering price, concession and reallowance to dealers may be reduced by the underwriter. No such reduction will change the amount of proceeds to be received by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

The following table summarizes the underwriting discounts and commissions we will pay to the underwriter, including $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), of deferred underwriting commissions that will be paid to the underwriter upon the completion of our initial business combination.

 

   Per Unit(1)  Total(1)
  

Without Over-

allotment 

 

With Over-

allotment

 

Without Over-  

allotment 

 

With Over-

allotment 

Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by us  $0.55   $0.55   $13,750,000   $15,812,500 
(1) Includes $0.35 per unit, or $8,750,000 (or $10,062,500 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriter only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus.

 

If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or during any Extension Period, the underwriter has agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to its deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account and (ii) that the deferred underwriter’s discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest will be net of taxes payable), to the public stockholders.

 

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We estimate expenses payable by us in connection with this offering, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions referred to above, will be approximately $1,000,000. We have agreed to pay certain out-of-pocket expenses of the underwriter, including FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriter’s legal counsel, not to exceed $25,000.

 

Determination of Offering Price

 

Prior to this offering, there has not been a public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for our units was determined by negotiations between us and the underwriter. Among the factors considered in these negotiations were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company.

 

We offer no assurances that the initial public offering price will correspond to the price at which the units will trade in the public market subsequent to the offering or that an active trading market for the units will develop and continue after the offering.

 

Listing

 

We have applied to list our units on the NYSE under the trading symbol “FACA.U.” We expect that our units will begin trading on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We anticipate that our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed under the symbols “FACA” and “FACA WS,” respectively, once the Class A common stock and warrants begin separate trading.

 

Stamp Taxes

 

If you purchase units offered in this prospectus, you may be required to pay stamp taxes and other charges under the laws and practices of the country of purchase, in addition to the offering price listed on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

Option to Purchase Additional Units

 

We have granted to the underwriter an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase, from time to time, in whole or in part, up to an aggregate of 3,750,000 units from us at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, less underwriting discounts and commissions. This option may be exercised only if the underwriter sells more units than the total number set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

 

Letter Agreement

 

We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of the underwriter, sell, offer to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, shares of common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock, provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement warrants, (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover the underwriter’s over-allotment option (if any), (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, the resale of the founder shares, the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the shares of Class L common stock, private placement warrants, and shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and upon conversion of the founder shares and (4) issue securities in connection with an initial business combination. The underwriter may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.

 

Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of (i) their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported 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

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days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that 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 the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders- Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares, Shares of Class L Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants”) and (ii) any of their shares of Class L common stock for any reason, other than to specified permitted transferees or in connection with a complete liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction following our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property; provided, that any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion of any shares of Class L common stock will not be subject to such restrictions on transfer. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and founding team with respect to any founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion of any founder shares.

 

The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders- Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares, Shares of Class L Common Stock and Private Placement Warrants”).

 

Stabilization

 

The underwriter has advised us that they, pursuant to Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and certain persons participating in the offering may engage in short sale transactions, stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions or the imposition of penalty bids in connection with this offering. These activities may have the effect of stabilizing or maintaining the market price of the units at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. Establishing short sales positions may involve either “covered” short sales or “naked” short sales.

 

“Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriter’s option to purchase additional units in this offering. The underwriter may close out any covered short position by either exercising its option to purchase additional units or purchasing units in the open market. In determining the source of units to close out the covered short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the option to purchase additional units.

 

“Naked” short sales are sales in excess of the option to purchase additional units. The underwriter must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of our units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.

 

A stabilizing bid is a bid for the purchase of units on behalf of the underwriter for the purpose of fixing or maintaining the price of the units. A syndicate covering transaction is the bid for or the purchase of units on behalf of the underwriter to reduce a short position incurred by the underwriter in connection with the offering. Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. A penalty bid is an arrangement permitting the underwriter to reclaim the selling concession otherwise accruing to a syndicate member in connection with the offering if the units originally sold by such syndicate member are purchased in a syndicate covering transaction and therefore have not been effectively placed by such syndicate member.

 

Neither we nor the underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our units. The underwriter is not obligated to engage in these activities and, if commenced, any of the activities may be discontinued at any time.

 

The underwriter may also engage in passive market making transactions in our units on the NYSE in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of our units in this offering and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at

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a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

 

Electronic Distribution

 

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available by e-mail or on the websites or through online services maintained by the underwriter or its affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriter may agree with us to allocate a specific number of units for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriter on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on the underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by the underwriter is not part of this prospectus, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or the underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

 

Other Activities and Relationships

 

We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriter to provide any services for us after this offering, but we may do so at our discretion. However, the underwriter may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future, including by acting as a placement agent in a private offering or underwriting or arranging debt financing. If the underwriter provides services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriter prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriter of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination. Any fees we may pay the underwriter or its affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may be paid in other than cash. The underwriter or its affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest given that the underwriters are entitled to the deferred portion of its underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.

 

The underwriter and certain of its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. The underwriter and certain of its affiliates have, from time to time, performed, and may in the future perform, various commercial and investment banking and financial advisory services for us and our affiliates, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses.

 

In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriter and certain of its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments issued by us and our affiliates. The underwriter and certain of its affiliates may also communicate independent investment recommendations, market color or trading ideas and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

 

The distribution of units in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these units are made. Any resale of the units in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the units.

 

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Representations of Canadian Purchasers

 

By purchasing the units in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

 

the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the units without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106-Prospectus Exemptions,
the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103-Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,
where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and
the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriter is relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105-Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.

 

Statutory Rights of Action

 

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these units in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

 

Enforcement of Legal Rights

 

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

 

Taxation and Eligibility for Investment

 

Canadian purchasers of the units should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the units in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the securities for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.

 

To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor, associated person or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this prospectus is void and incapable of acceptance.

 

You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the units issued to you pursuant to this prospectus for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

 

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each, a “Relevant State”), no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of the securities may be made to the public in that Relevant State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:

 

(a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;

 

(b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the representative; or

 

(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,

 

provided that no such offer of the securities shall require us or any representative to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

 

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to the securities in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

 

In relation to the United Kingdom, no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares that either (i) has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority, or (ii) is to be treated as if it had been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority in accordance with the transitional provision in Regulation 74 of the Prospectus (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019, except that offers of securities may be made to the public in the United Kingdom at any time under the following exemptions under the UK Prospectus Regulation:

 

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation;

 

to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation); or

 

in any other circumstances falling within section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (“FSMA”),

 

provided that no such offer of securities shall require the Issuer or any representative to publish a prospectus pursuant to section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.

 

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in any relevant state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities, and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.

 

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the securities as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the securities, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the securities on behalf of us or the underwriters.

 

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”) or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public of the securities in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the FSMA.

 

Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the information included in this document or use it as basis for taking any action. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity that this document relates to may be made or taken exclusively by relevant persons.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

 

This prospectus is not a disclosure document for the purposes of Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) of Australia, or Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this prospectus in Australia:

 

You confirm and warrant that you are either:

 

a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act;
a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the Company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made;
a person associated with the Company under Section 708(12) of the Corporations Act; or
a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

 

No units have been offered or sold, and no units may be offered or sold, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell units, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (“SFO”) and any rules made under that Ordinance; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (“CO”) or which do not constitute an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the units has been issued or may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made under that Ordinance.

 

This prospectus has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the units may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the units will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the units, to confirm that he is aware of the restriction on offers of the units described in this prospectus and the relevant offering documents and that he is not acquiring, and has not been offered any units in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.

 

169 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Israel

 

This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the units is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

 

The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended), or FIEL, and the underwriter will not offer or sell any units, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEL and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

 

This prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units has not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the units will be offered in Singapore pursuant to exemptions under Section 274 and Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “Securities and Futures Act”). Accordingly our units may not be offered or sold, or be the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to the public or any member of the public in Singapore other than (a) to an institutional investor or other person specified in Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, (b) to a sophisticated investor, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act or (c) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the Securities and Futures Act.

 

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

 

The units may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This prospectus has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the units or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

 

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company or the units have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus will not be filed with, and the offer of units will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of units has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of units.

 

170 

LEGAL MATTERS

 

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, New York, New York has passed upon the validity of the securities offered hereby on behalf of us. Certain legal matters will be passed upon on behalf of the underwriters by Paul Hastings LLP, New York, New York.

 

EXPERTS

 

The financial statements of Figure Acquisition Corp. I as of December 31, 2020 and for the period from December 15, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Figure Acquisition Corp. I to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.

 

Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

171 

FIGURE Acquisition Corp. I

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

      Page
Audited Financial Statements of Figure Acquisition Corp. I:      
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm     F-2
Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2020     F-3
Statement of Operations for the period from December 15, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020     F-4
Statement of Changes in Stockholder’s Equity for the period from December 15, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020     F-5
Statement of Cash Flows for the period from December 15, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020     F-6
Notes to Financial Statements     F-7

F-1 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of

 

Figure Acquisition Corp. I

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Figure Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020, the related statements of operations, stockholder’s equity and cash flows for each of the period ended from December 15, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period ended from December 15, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern

 

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of December 31, 2020, and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern. Management's plans in regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might become necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ Marcum llp

 

Marcum llp

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

 

Melville, NY

January 12, 2021

 

F-2 

FIGURE ACQUISITION CORP. I

BALANCE SHEET

DECEMBER 31, 2020

 

Assets:   
Current Asset - Cash  $25,000 
Deferred offering costs   49,366 
Total assets  $74,366 
      
Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity     
Accrued offering costs and expenses  $57,500 
Total current liabilities   57,500 
      
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6)     
      
Stockholder’s Equity     
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted   —   
Class A common stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding   —   
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 3,194,444 shares issued and outstanding(1)   319 
Class L common stock, $0.0001 par value; 15,000,000 shares authorized; 9,126,984        shares issued and outstanding(2)   913 
Additional paid-in capital   23,768 
Accumulated deficit   (8,134)
Total stockholder’s equity   16,866 
Total Liabilities and Stockholder’s Equity  $74,366 
____________

 

(1)Includes up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

 

(2)Includes up to 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-3 

FIGURE ACQUISITION CORP. I
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 15, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020

 

Formation costs  $8,134 
Net loss  $(8,134)
      
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding(1)   10,714,285 
Basic and diluted net loss per share  $(0.00)
____________

 

(1)     Excludes up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-4 

FIGURE ACQUISITION CORP. I
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

 

FOR THE PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 15, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020

 

    Class B
Common Stock
  Class L
Common Stock
  Additional Paid-In Capital   Accumulated Deficit   Stockholder’s Equity
    Shares   Amount              
Balance as of December 15, 2020 (inception)     $   $   $   $     $  
Class B and Class L common stock issued to Sponsor(1)   3,194,444     319   9,126,984   913     23,768           25,000  
Net loss                   (8,134 )     (8,134 )
Balance as of December 31, 2020   3,194,444   $ 319   9,126,984  $ 913   $ 23,768   $ (8,134 )   $ 16,866  
____________

 

(1)     Includes up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-5 

FIGURE ACQUISITION CORP. I
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 15, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020

 

Cash flows from operating activities:   
Net loss  $(8,134)
Changes in current assets and liabilities:     
Accrued offering costs and expenses   8,134 
Net cash used in operating activities   —   
      
Cash flows from financing activities:     
Proceeds from issuance of founder shares   25,000 
Net cash provided by financing activities   25,000 
      
Net change in cash   25,000 
Cash, beginning of the period   —   
Cash, end of the period  $25,000 
      
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:     
Accrued deferred offering costs  $49,366 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

F-6 

FIGURE ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

Note 1 — Organization and Business Operations

 

Figure Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation on December 15, 2020. The Company was 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 (“Business Combination”).

 

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from December 15, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 relates to the Company’s formation and the Proposed Public Offering (as defined below). The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the proposed public offering (as defined below). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

 

The Company’s sponsor is Fintech Acquisition LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 25,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (the “Units”) (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Proposed Public Offering”), and the sale of 4,666,667 private placement warrants (or 5,166,667 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”) to the Sponsor, at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate, or $7,750,000 if the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering. Each Unit consists of one share of the Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of the Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a Business Combination (less deferred underwriting commissions).

 

The Company’s Business Combination must be with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net balance in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing an agreement to enter into a Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.

 

Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an aggregate of $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and may only be invested in U.S. “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 of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to the Company to pay its tax obligations, the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will not be released from the Trust Account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (b) the redemption of any shares of the Company’s Class A common stock sold in the Proposed Public Offering (the “public shares”) properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of the public shares in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if it does not complete its initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, and (c) the redemption of 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Proposed

 

F-7 

Public Offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the Trust Account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors which would have priority over the claims of the Company’s public stockholders.

 

The Company will provide its public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the initial Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The stockholders will be entitled to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account (initially approximately $10.00 per share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations).

 

The shares of common stock subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the issued and outstanding shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination.

 

The Company will have 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete an initial Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). However, if the Company is unable to complete its initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company 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 the Company to pay its taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

The Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their shares of the Company’s Class B common stock (the “founder shares”), shares of Class L common stock and public shares in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of the public shares in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholder’s rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their founder shares and shares of Class L common stock if the Company fails to complete the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, and (iv) vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of the Company’s initial Business Combination.

 

The Company’s Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable), nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, the Company has not asked its Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has the Company independently verified whether its Sponsor has sufficient funds to

 

F-8 

satisfy its indemnity obligations and believes that the Company’s Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot assure that its Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations.

 

Going Concern Consideration

 

As of December 31, 2020, the Company had $25,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of $32,500 (excluding deferred offering costs). The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. The Company lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. Management plans to address this need for capital through the Proposed Public Offering. The Company cannot assure that its plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial Business Combination will be successful. In addition, management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the Company's financial position, results of its operations and/or closing the initial public offering or search for a target company.

 

These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern one year from the date these financial statements are issued. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from its inability to consummate the Proposed Public Offering or its inability to continue as a going concern.

 

Note 2 — Significant Accounting Policies

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

 

Emerging Growth Company Status

 

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

 

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 election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company 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.

 

F-9 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.

 

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgement. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had $25,000 in cash and did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020.

 

Deferred Offering Costs

 

Deferred offering costs consist of accounting and legal expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

 

Net Loss Per Common Share

 

Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 416,667 shares of Class B common stock and 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 7). At December 31, 2020, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740 Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.

 

ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition.

 

The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2020. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.

 

F-10 

The Company has identified the United States as its only “major” tax jurisdiction.

 

The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. These examinations may include questioning the timing and amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax jurisdictions and compliance with federal and state tax laws. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

 

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from December 15, 2020 (inception) to December 31, 2020. The Company’s deferred tax assets were deemed to be de minimis as of December 31, 2020.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

 

Risks and Uncertainties

 

Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

Note 3 — Proposed Public Offering

 

In the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 25,000,000 units, (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each unit that the Company is offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock, and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. Each warrant will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination or 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering and will expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

Note 4 — Private Placement

 

The Sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,666,667 (or 5,166,667 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) Private Placement Warrant at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate or $7,750,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Placement Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of the Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable in certain circumstances and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees. Otherwise, the Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the Units in the Proposed Public Offering.

 

The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors has agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and public shares in connection with the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, shares of Class L common stock and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of the Company’s public shares in connection with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Company’s public shares if the Company does not complete its initial Business Combination within the Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to their founder shares and shares of Class L common stock if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any public shares they hold if the Company fails to complete the initial Business

 

F-11 

Combination within the Combination Period, and (iv) vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of the Company’s initial Business Combination.

 

Note 5 — Related Party Transactions

 

Founder Shares

 

In December 2020, the Company’s Sponsor purchased 4,107,143 shares of Class B common stock and 8,214,286 shares of Class L common stock for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share. In January 2021, the Company’s Sponsor surrendered its Class B and Class L shares, and the Company reissued to the Sponsor 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock (the “founder shares”) and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock, with no return of capital or payment by the Sponsor, resulting in the Sponsor holding 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock (the “founder shares”) and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock with an effective purchase price of approximately $0.002 per share. The founder shares include up to 416,667 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. Additionally, up to 1,190,476 shares of Class L common stock is subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. All shares of common stock and associated amounts have been retroactively restated (see Note 8).

 

With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or saleable (except to the Company’s officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the Sponsor, including their respective limited partners, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the Company’s initial Business Combination, (x) if the reported closing price of 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 the Company’s initial Business Combination or (y) the date, following the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Promissory Note — Related Party

 

The Company’s Sponsor has agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the Proposed Public Offering. The loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The Company intends to repay the loan upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering out of offering proceeds not held in the Trust Account. As of December 31, 2020, the Company had not borrowed any amount under the promissory note.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds from the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Up to $2,000,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 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. At December 31, 2020, no such Working Capital Loans were outstanding.

 

F-12 

Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies

 

Registration Rights

 

The Sponsor will have rights to require the Company to register any of its securities held by them for resale under the Securities Act pursuant to a registration and stockholder rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, the holders of the founder shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of the initial Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act.

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to an additional 3,750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of two percent (2%) of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering, or $5,000,000 (or up to $5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full). Additionally, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred underwriting discount of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering held in the Trust Account upon the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

Note 7 — Stockholder’s Equity

 

Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 and with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2020, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding

 

Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue a total of 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock at par value of $0.01 each. At December 31, 2020, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.

 

Class B Common Stock —Company is authorized to issue a total of 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock at par value of $0.0001 each. In December 2020, the Company issued 4,107,143 shares of Class B common stock to the Sponsor for approximately $0.002 per share (the “founder shares”). In January, the Sponsor surrendered its Class B shares and the Company reissued 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock to Sponsor, with no return of capital or payment by the Sponsor resulting in the Sponsor holding 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock for approximately $0.002 per share (the “founder shares”). The founder shares include an aggregate of up to 416,667 shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. All shares of common stock and associated amounts have been retroactively restated.

 

The Company’s sponsor, directors and officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell their founder shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the Company’s initial Business Combination, (x) if the reported closing price of the Company’s Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, or other similar transaction that results in all of its stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of the Company’s Class A common stock at the time of its initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked

 

F-13 

securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 10% of the sum of (i) the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, plus (ii) the total number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with or in connection with the initial Business Combination, excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any units or warrants issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of Working Capital Loans; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one for one basis.

 

Prior to the initial Business Combination, only holders of the Company’s Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholder, holders of record of the Class A common stock and holders of record of the Class B common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share of common stock entitling the holder to one vote except as required by law.

 

Class L Common Stock —The Company is authorized to issue a total of 15,000,000 shares of Class L common stock at par value of $0.0001 each. In December 2020, the Company issued 8,214,286 shares of Class L common stock to the Sponsor for approximately $0.002 per share. In January, the Sponsor surrendered its Class L shares and the Company reissued 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock to the Sponsor with no return of capital or payment by the Sponsor resulting in the Sponsor holding 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock for approximately $0.002 per share. Up to 1,190,476 shares of the Class L common stock is subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full. All shares of common stock and associated amounts have been retroactively restated.

 

The Class L common stock shall have no voting rights and will convert into shares of Class A common stock following the initial Business Combination to the extent certain triggering vesting events occur. The Class L common stock will vest in four equal tranches upon achieving share performance targets. If between the consummation of our initial business combination and the ten year anniversary of the initial Business Combination the closing price of the Company's Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds specified per share trading price targets for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period (the four vesting price targets equal $12.50 ("First Price Vesting"), $15.00 ("Second Price Vesting"), $17.50 ("Third Price Vesting"), and $20.00 ("Fourth Price Vesting")), one-fourth of the Class L common shares will automatically convert into Class A common shares on a 1-for-1 basis. For example, if fifteen months following the consummation of the initial Business Combination the closing price of the shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $15.00 but does not exceed $17.50 for 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period, both the First Price Vesting and Second Price Vesting target achievements will be met, resulting in a total of 3,968,254 Class L Shares converting into 3,968,254 shares of Class A common stock, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

The Class L common stock will vest upon the consummation of specified strategic transactions that results in all of the public shareholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property at an effective price of at least $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (a "Qualifying Strategic Transaction"). For example, if nine months following the consummation of the initial business combination the Company consummates a Qualifying Strategic Transaction, all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 7,936,508 shares of Class A common stock, such that sum of Class B shares owned by the Sponsor at the time of this offering and the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time Qualifying Strategic Transaction will equal 30% of the sum of total Class A shares issued in the Proposed Public Offering, the Class B shares owned by the Sponsor at the time of the Proposed Public Offering, and the Class A shares issued as a result of the conversion of shares of Class L common stock at the time of the Qualifying Strategic Transaction (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like). If a Strategic Transaction occurs after the one year anniversary of our initial business combination that results in all of the public stockholders having the right to exchange their common stock for cash, securities or other property with an effective price of at least $10.00 per share of Class A common stock, all of the then-outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into shares of Class A common stock as follows:

 

F-14 

if (and only if) the First Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $10.00 per share and less than or equal to $12.50 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $2.50 and the denominator of which is $10.00 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

if (and only if) the Second Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $12.50 per share and less than or equal to $15.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $12.50 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like);

 

if (and only if) the Third Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $15.00 per share and less than or equal to $17.50 per share (a "Third Strategic Transaction Price Vesting Event"), all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting or Second Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $15.00 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $17.50 per share and less than or equal to $20.00 per share, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to 1,984,127 (2,281,746 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is equal to the effective price of the Strategic Transaction minus $17.50 and the denominator of which is $2.50 (each as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like); and

 

if (and only if) the Fourth Price Vesting shall not have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction and the effective price of the Strategic Transaction is greater than $20.00, all of the then outstanding shares of Class L common stock (after giving effect to any First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting and Third Price Vesting that shall have occurred prior to or in connection with such Strategic Transaction) will convert into one share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

 

For example, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $12.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting thresholds shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 1,984,127 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting.

 

In contrast, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $15.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 3,968,254 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting.

 

Further, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $17.50 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, none of the First Price Vesting, Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 5,952,381 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the First Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting and 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting.

 

Lastly, if more than one year following the consummation of our initial business combination we consummate a Strategic Transaction and the effective price of such Strategic Transaction is $18.00 per share of Class A common stock (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) and prior to the consummation of such Strategic Transaction, the First Price Vesting target shall have been met, but none of the Second Price Vesting, Third Price Vesting or Fourth Price Vesting targets shall have been met, all of the then-remaining outstanding shares of Class L common stock will automatically convert into 4,365,079 shares, representing 1,984,127 shares associated with the Second Price Vesting, 1,984,127 shares associated with the Third Price Vesting, and 396,825 shares associated with the Fourth Price Vesting. Together with the 1,984,127 shares of Class L common stock already vested and converted to shares of Class A common stock associated with the First Price Vesting, a total of 6,349,206 shares of Class L common stock will have vested and converted into shares of Class A common stock. 

 

 

F-15 

Warrants — No warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of the Company’s Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed herein. In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the 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 the Company’s board of directors and, (i) in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or any of its respective affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares or shares of Class L common stock held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance, and (ii) to the extent that such issuance is made to the Sponsor or any of its respective affiliates, without taking into account the transfer of founder shares, shares of Class L common stock or private placement warrants by the Sponsor in connection with such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below in “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger described below in “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering or 30 days after the completion of its initial Business Combination, and will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.

 

The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.

 

Redemption of Warrants When the Price per share of Class A Common Stock Equals or Exceeds $18.00

 

Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding 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 (the “30-day redemption period”; and

 

if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (which we refer to as the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”).

 

The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period.

 

F-16 

If and when the warrants become redeemable, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

 

Redemption of Warrants When the Price per share of Class A Common Stock Equals or Exceeds $10.00

 

Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding 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 determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of the Class A common stock (as defined below in the immediately following paragraph) except as otherwise described below;

 

if, and only if, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”); and

 

if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “ —Redeemable Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”), the private placement warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above.

 

The “fair market value” of the Class A common stock for the above purpose shall mean the volume-weighted average price of the Class A common stock as reported during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. The Company will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the ten-trading day period described above ends. 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 whole warrant (subject to adjustment).

 

If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361 per whole warrant. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

 

Note 8 — Subsequent Events

 

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to through January 12, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

In January 2021, the Company’s Sponsor surrendered its Class B and Class L shares, and the Company reissued to the Sponsor 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock (the “founder shares”) and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock, with no return of capital or payment by the Sponsor, resulting in the Sponsor holding 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock (the “founder shares”) and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock with an effective purchase price of approximately $0.002 per share. All shares of common stock and associated amounts have been retroactively restated.

 

F-17 

 

 

 

 

$250,000,000

Figure Acquisition Corp. I

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

, 2021

 

 

Sole-Bookrunner

Citigroup

 

Co-Manager 

Piper Sandler

 

Until      , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

PART II

 

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

 

The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:

 

Legal fees and expenses:  $300,000 
Accounting Fees and expenses:  $40,000 
SEC expenses:  $31,367 
FINRA expenses:  $43,625 
NYSE listing expenses:  $85,000 
Director and officer insurance:  $400,000 
Printing and engraving expenses:  $15,000 
Miscellaneous:  $85,008 
Total:  $1,000,000 
(1) This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by us in connection with the offering over and above those specifically listed above, including transfer agent and trustee fees.

 

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”).

 

Section 145 of the DGCL concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

 

Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

 

(a) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have

 

 

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been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

(c) To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
(d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.
(e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.
(f) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to such provision after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.
(g) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.
(h) For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

(i)

For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or

 

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beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.

(j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
(k) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.

 

If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.

 

The right to indemnification conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to

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repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.

 

The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.

 

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

Our bylaws include provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those to be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

 

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.

 

We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors, a form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.6 to this registration statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

 

Pursuant to the form of underwriting agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriter and the underwriter has agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

 

On January 8, 2021, Fintech Acquisition LLC, our sponsor, purchased from us an aggregate of 3,194,444 shares of Class B common stock, or founder shares, and 9,126,984 shares of Class L common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, in a private placement.

 

In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,666,667 warrants (or 5,166,667 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $1.50 per warrant ($7,000,000 in the aggregate, or $7,750,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis concurrently with the completion of our initial public offering. This issuance will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

 

Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.

 

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed as part of this registration statement:

 

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Exhibit

No.

    Description
1.1*     Form of Underwriting Agreement
3.1*     Certificate of Incorporation
3.2*     Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
3.3*     Bylaws
4.1*     Specimen Unit Certificate
4.2*     Specimen Class A Common Stock Certificate
4.3*     Specimen Warrant Certificate (included in Exhibit 4.4)
4.4*     Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant
5.1*     Opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
10.1*     Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Fintech Acquisition LLC, and each of the officers and directors of the Registrant
10.2*     Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant
10.3*     Securities Subscription Agreement, dated January 8, 2021, between the Registrant and Fintech Acquisition LLC
10.4*     Form of Private Placement Warrant Purchase Agreement among the Registrant and Fintech Acquisition LLC
10.5*     Form of Registration and Stockholder Rights Agreement between the Registrant and certain securityholders
10.6*     Form of Indemnity Agreement
10.7*     Promissory Note issued in favor of Fintech Acquisition LLC, dated December 22, 2020
23.1*     Consent of Marcum LLP
23.2*     Consent of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24*     Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement)
99.1*     Consent of David Chao, as Director Nominee
99.2*     Consent of Christopher D. Davies, as Director Nominee
99.3*     Consent of David J. Miller, as Director Nominee
99.4*     Consent of Annette L. Nazareth, as Director Nominee

* Filed herewith

 

(b) Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements included in the registration statement.

 

Item 17. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

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(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on the 3rd day of February, 2021.

 

      Figure Acquisition Corp. I
                   
      By:     /s/ Christopher D. Davies
            Name:     Christopher D. Davies
            Title:     Chief Executive Officer

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY

 

We, the undersigned directors and officers of Figure Acquisition Corp. I hereby severally constitute and appoint Michael Cagney and Thomas J. Milani, each acting together or alone, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this Registration Statement on Form S-1 (including all pre-effective and post-effective amendments and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, each acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that any such attorney-in-fact and agent, or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature     Title     Date
             
/s/ Michael Cagney     Chairman     February 3, 2021
Michael Cagney  
   

/s/ Christopher D. Davies

    Chief Executive Officer and Director     February 3, 2021
Christopher D. Davies     (Principal Executive Officer)      
             
/s/ Asiff Hirji    

President

    February 3, 2021
Asiff Hirji  
   
/s/ Thomas J. Milani    

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) 

    February 3, 2021
Thomas J. Milani