DRS 1 filename1.htm

 

This confidential draft submission is being submitted confidentially to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 9, 2021, and is not being filed under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

Registration No. 333-

 

 

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

 

Form S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

CHW Acquisition Corporation
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Cayman Islands   6770   N/A
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

 

2 Manhattanville Road

Suite 403

Purchase, NY 10577

Tel: (914) 603-5016

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

 

Jonah Raskas
Co-Chief Executive Officer
2 Manhattanville Road

Suite 403

Purchase, NY 10577

Tel: (914) 603-5016

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

 

Copies to:

 

Ari Edelman, Esq.
Reed Smith LLP
599 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10022
Tel: (212) 521-5400

 

Daniel L. Forman, Esq.
Proskauer Rose LLP
Eleven Times Square

New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 969-3000

 

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, 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 x Smaller reporting company x
       
    Emerging growth company x

 

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

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Each Class of Security Being Registered   Amount Being
Registered
    Proposed
Maximum
Offering Price
Per Security(1)
    Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price(1)
    Amount of
Registration
Fee
 
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant(2)     11,500,000     $ 10.00     $ 115,000,000     $ 12,546.50  
Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(3)     11,500,000                    
Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(4)     5,750,000                    
Total                   $ 115,000,000     $ 12,546.50  

 

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

 

  (2) Includes 1,500,000 units, consisting of 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares and 750,000 redeemable warrants, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

  (3) Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from share subdivisions, share consolidations, share capitalizations 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 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 preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary 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.

 

Preliminary Prospectus   Subject to Completion, dated
FEBRUARY 9, 2021

 

$100,000,000

CHW Acquisition Corporation

10,000,000 Units

 

CHW Acquisition Corporation is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share 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 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 the initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms, and limitations as provided herein. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants are exercisable and will trade. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering, and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the warrants once the warrants become exercisable. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

 

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary 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 described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.

 

Our sponsor, CHW Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and Chardan Capital Markets, LLC, the representative of the underwriters, which we refer to as Chardan, have committed to purchase an aggregate of 3,750,000 (or up to 4,087,500 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($3,750,000 (or up to $4,087,500 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) in the aggregate) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The terms of the private placement warrants are identical to those of the public warrants, except as described in this prospectus. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the private placement warrants. Each private placement warrant is exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.

 

Our initial shareholders own an aggregate of 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares, up to 375,000 of which will be surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.

 

 

 

 

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on The Nasdaq Capital Market, or the Nasdaq, under the symbol “CHWAU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq. We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless Chardan 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 ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on the Nasdaq under the symbols “CHWA” and “CHWAW,” 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 risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 26. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.

 

    Per Unit     Total
Public offering price   $ 10.00     $ 100,000,000
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)     0.575     $ 5,750,000
Proceeds, before expense to CHW Acquisition Corporation   $ 9.425     $ 94,250,000

 

 

  (1) Includes $0.35 per unit, or $3,500,000 (or up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to Chardan 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 Chardan only upon completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. Does not include certain other fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” for further information relating to the underwriting arrangements agreed to between us and the underwriters in this offering .

 

Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $100,000,000 or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit), will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until 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 shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.

 

The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. Delivery of the units will be made on or about      , 2021.

 

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

 

No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

 

Chardan

 

The date of this prospectus is      , 2021

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

    Page
Summary   1
The Offering   9
Summary Financial Data   24
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary   25
Risk Factors   26
Use of Proceeds   57
Dividend Policy   60
Dilution   61
Capitalization   62
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations   63
Proposed Business   69
Management   97
Principal Shareholders   106
Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions   109
Description of Securities   111
Income Tax Considerations   128
Underwriting   139
Legal Matters   146
Experts   146
Where You Can Find Additional Information   146
Index to Financial Statements   F-1

 

Until                 , 2021, all dealers that effect transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This obligation is in addition to the dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.

 

Trademarks

 

This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such reference are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other entities’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with or endorsement or sponsorship of us by any other entities.

 

 

 

 

 

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 “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.

 

Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, references to:

 

  · “amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association;

 

  · “Class A ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares of par value $0.0001 per share of the company;

 

  · “Class B ordinary shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares of par value $0.0001 per share of the company;

 

  · “company,” “our company,” “we,” or “us” are to CHW Acquisition Corporation, a Cayman Islands exempted company;

 

  · “Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;

 

  · “equity-linked securities” are to any securities of our company which are convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for, ordinary shares of our company;

 

  · “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and, unless the context otherwise requires, our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein;

 

  · “initial shareholders” are to the holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;

 

  · “letter agreement” refers to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part;

 

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

 

  · “Chardan” are to Chardan Capital Markets, LLC the representative of the underwriters;

 

  · “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares;

 

  · “preference shares” are to our preference shares of par value $0.0001 per share in the share capital of the company;

 

  · “private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor and Chardan in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering;

 

  · “public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares;

 

  · “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares offered as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or thereafter in the open market);

 

  · “public warrants” are to the redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are subscribed for in this offering or in the open market);

 

  · “sponsor” are to CHW Acquisition Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company controlled by Jonah Raskas, our Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director and Mark Grundman, our Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Director;

 

  · “warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which include the public warrants as well as the private placement warrants to the extent they are no longer held by the initial purchasers of the private placement warrants or their permitted transferees.

 

All references in this prospectus to our shares being forfeited shall take effect as surrenders for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. All references in this prospectus to our share dividends shall take effect as share capitalizations as a matter of Cayman Islands law. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 375,000 founder shares.

 

1

 

 

General

 

We are a blank check company incorporated on January 12, 2021, as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share 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 generated no revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues at the earliest until we consummate 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.

 

Our Company

 

Members of our management team and board have significant experience in the consumer product and retail industries. Our mission is to leverage our collective experiences and skills in order to consummate an initial business combination within the consumer product or consumer-related industry. Our team has extensive executive level experiences in a variety of sectors including, but not limited to, fashion, food, beverage, pet, toy, athleisure, fitness, snacking, over-the-counter (“OTC”) health and wellness products, weight loss, and travel goods.

 

Our management team’s background also includes extensive experience in the retail industry that we believe gives us a unique advantage to identify target companies in the consumer industry that are positioned for growth and where we can add value through margin enhancement, the ability to capitalize on market trends, and advancing business-to-business relationships. We believe we can harness our network which spans many of the major retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Vitamin Shoppe, and Family Dollar, to enhance the prospects of our business combination target.

 

In addition to our industry expertise, our management team has significant transactional experience, having consummated and led major transactions in the sector.

 

· Paul Norman, our President, was formally President of Kellogg North America, or Kellogg, having started his career there in 1987. During his tenure at Kellogg, Mr. Norman was instrumental in accelerating mergers and acquisitions activity at Kellogg and he participated in significant transactions including the acquisition of RX bar by Kellogg in 2017 for $600 million.

 

· Jonah Raskas, our Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director, was previously an investment banker at Rodman and Renshaw, where he focused on the capital markets, including work on initial public offerings and secondary offerings. We believe Mr. Raskas’s capital markets execution experience will provide leadership, not only in identifying targets best suited to go public, but also in executing a successful business combination.

 

· Mark Grundman, our Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Director, has operating experience in consumer-oriented companies as well as buy-side and sell-side deal experience including working on the special situations desk at GAMCO Investors, Inc., formally known as Gabelli Asset Management, where he reported directly to Mario Gabelli. We believe that his experience in the mergers and acquisitions process will strengthen our ability to consummate a successful business combination.

 

  · Additionally, one of our board members held leadership positions during significant transactions, such as the sale of Del Monte Foods for more than $1 billion, and J.M. Smucker Company’s acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands for approximately $6 billion.

  

We intend to source deals through the relationships of our management team. Leveraging our industry knowledge and our vast network of contacts, we are confident in our proprietary sourcing of deal flow to originate and complete a business combination. Furthermore, our network includes investment bank, private equity, and hedge fund relationships that we plan to utilize once we are a public company. We anticipate that our relationships will be instrumental to our company completing an initial business combination within our 24-month timeframe.

 

We believe that our team’s collective operational experience within the consumer and retailer industries bring a unique value and approach. Members of our management team have participated in key brand growth strategies for some of the most well recognized brands in the industry such as Kellogg®, Dove®, Campbell’s®, Smucker’s®, Lego®, Pepsi®, Dr. Pepper Snapple®, Kraft®, Del Monte Foods®, Big Heart Pet Brands®, Voltaren®, PopTarts®, Kashi®, and Gas-X®. Our management team members built their careers at Fortune 100 consumer companies and our collective expertise covers key cross-functional areas that are of value within digital, e-commerce, supply chain, trademarking, profit and loss management, strategic planning, innovation, consumer insights, analytics, and packaging. From a retailer perspective, our team’s expertise includes merchandising, marketing, digital tools, sourcing and in-store customer experience management.

 

Our Management Team

 

Our Executive Officers

 

Paul Norman has served as our President since February 2021. Mr. Norman is a global consumer products leader with over 30 years of experience creating brand and shareholder value. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Hearthside Food Solutions, a contract food manufacturer, Jones Soda Company (OTC:JSDA), a beverage company, and PureK Holdings (TSX-V: PKAN), a CBD retail products company. From 2019 to 2020, he served as chairman and CEO of HeavenlyRx, a privately held CBD wellness company. Prior to HeavenlyRx, Mr. Norman spent three decades at Kellogg, the $11 billion multinational food-manufacturing company, where his tenure was defined by transformation, profitable growth and shareholder value creation through strategic portfolio management, innovation and diverse talent development and leadership. He has deep experience in building brands while successfully navigating complex regulatory environments where challenges around marketing and nutrition/ ingredient labeling restrictions are constantly evolving. As president of Kellogg’s $9 billion North American business from 2015 to 2018, Mr. Norman led initiatives such as the exit of Direct Store Delivery, which transformed US Snacks to a warehouse pull model. He was instrumental in accelerating mergers and acquisitions activity at Kellogg, including Kellogg’s acquisition of RX bar in 2017 for $600 million. In his role, Mr. Norman interacted regularly with the Kellogg board of directors, attending all board meetings and collaborating closely with several sub-committees. He also participated in analyst and investor calls for the company. Prior to serving as president of Kellogg’s North American business in 2015, Mr. Norman served as the company’s chief growth officer from 2013 to 2015, where he developed the Kellogg global category operating model. In that role he focused on long-term innovation, building sales and marketing capability, and long-term strategy for the company’s breakfast and snacks categories. Concurrent with the chief growth officer role, Mr. Norman served as interim president of the U.S. Morning Foods business, which generated approximately $3 billion in revenues. In 2008, he was promoted to president of Kellogg International, where he built a team and platform to support international growth, a key pillar of the company’s growth plan. As part of that team, Mr. Norman helped to facilitate the acquisition of Pringles® in 2012, which was key to the company’s plans for global expansion and growth. In 2012, he led the integration of Pringles® and the restructuring of Kellogg’s European business to implement the new “Wired to Win” operating model, which resulted in significantly improved European top and bottom line performance. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Norman led U.S. Morning Foods, which included cereal, PopTarts®, the Kashi Company, and the frozen foods division, to five years of sequential profitable sales and share growth. He was named managing director of Kellogg’s U.K./ Republic of Ireland business in 2002, where he successfully led a turnaround in sales performance and helped to grow the company’s cereal market share for the first time in 11 years. In 2000, Mr. Norman became president of Kellogg Canada Inc. and from 1989 to 2000, he held progressively more senior marketing roles at U.S. Morning Foods across France, Canada, Latin America and the U.S. In addition to his time at Kellogg, from 2016 to 2018 Mr. Norman served as a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association board of directors, where he served on the executive committee. He also served as a Trustee of the Food Marketing Institute Foundation board, from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Norman received a bachelor’s degree with honors in French from Portsmouth Polytechnic.

 

2

 

 

Jonah Raskas has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since January 2021. Since 2016, Mr. Raskas has worked in the consumer industry, as brand manager at GlaxoSmithKline plc, or GSK, and has led several business lines for the company. All business lines he has led sell millions of products on an annual basis. At GSK, Mr. Raskas has focused on digital, e-commerce, innovation profit and loss management, and overall strategy. Most recently, he led all e-commerce and digital for the first prescription to over-the-counter in the pain category in more than 20 years. There are, on average, only one to two prescription switches annually in the consumer industry and Mr. Raskas led one of them in 2020. He is also part of the US Consumer Healthcare Emerging Leaders Program at GSK. From 2008 to 2010, he was an investment banker at Rodman and Renshaw, a mid-tier investment bank. Mr. Raskas was primarily focused on initial public offerings and secondary offerings, giving him capital market and public market exposure. Mr. Raskas started his career in 2007 working in the White House in the Speechwriting Office for President George W. Bush. There, he focused on market research and reviewing speeches that were written for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. He will leverage his extensive network within the capital markets and consumer industry in order to identify ideal targets for acquisition business combination. Mr. Raskas also graduated summa cum laude with a MBA from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University with a focus on Accounting and Marketing.

 

Mark Grundman has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since January 2021 and our Chief Financial Officer since February 2021. Mr. Grundman brings direct experience within a range of businesses, such as helipads, chemical plants, packaged consumer goods, and janitorial services. In early 2020, he established his own firm, MJG Partners, LLC, which focuses on small business investing and investment advising. From 2018 to 2019, he served as president of VPG International, LLC, a newly-acquired framed art business within a portfolio of investor-owned companies. From 2006 to 2016, Mr. Grundman worked at GAMCO Investors, Inc. (NYSE: GBL), a leading institutional asset management firm. From 2013 to 2014, he took a leave of absence to attended Columbia Business School, where he received his MBA. After graduating from Columbia, he rejoined the company to focus on building out a sell-side special situations department. During his tenure at GAMCO, Mr. Grundman held various roles including trading desk analyst, focusing on special situation investing, including merger arbitrage, spinoffs, special purpose acquisition companies, liquidations, and other arbitrage opportunities, ultimately reporting directly to Mario Gabelli, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of GAMCO. In addition to his investing focus, Mr. Grundman was responsible for presenting and reviewing the portfolio strategy and performance to the board of directors and major investors of GAMCO’s publicly traded mutual funds as well as the separately managed accounts and sub accounts of the firm. Mr. Grundman brings a unique and valuable perspective to our strategic approach, in terms of public market reception, operational excellence, and sustainability.

 

Our Board of Directors

 

In addition to Messrs. Raskas and Grundman, the following individuals will serve on our Board of Directors:

 

M. Carl Johnson, III, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Johnson is currently Chairman of the Board of Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE:NLS), a fitness solutions company, and has served in this capacity since 2010. He also served as interim chief executive officer of Nautilus from March 2019  through July 2019. From 2011 to 2015, he served as group executive vice president/brands and chief growth officer of Del Monte Foods (2011-2014) and chief growth officer and executive vice president, marketing, for Big Heart Pet Brands, the successor company to Del Monte Foods (2014- 2015), and senior advisor, J. M. Smucker Co., following its acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands (2015). From 2001 to 2011, Mr. Johnson served as senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Campbell Soup Company.  From 1992-2001, he served in various roles at Kraft Food Group, Inc.:  Vice President, Strategy, Kraft USA (1992-93); EVP & General Manager, Specialty Products Division, Kraft USA (1993-94); EVP & General Manager, Meals Division, Kraft Foods, N.A.; EVP & President, New Meals Division, Kraft Foods, N.A. (1997-2001).  Prior to that, Mr. Johnson held roles at Marketing Corp. of America, Polaroid Corp., and Colgate-Palmolive. Mr. Johnson, brings a broad set of skills to our board of directors, which he developed through helping lead, iconic American companies such as Campbell Soup Company, Kraft, Polaroid, Colgate-Palmolive, managing multi-billion dollar businesses, and serving on c-suite leadership teams.

 

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Gary Tickle will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Tickle is an industry leader with 30 years of global experience successfully driving growth and transformation in consumer packaged goods, or CPG, businesses. He held leadership roles across various functions including supply chain, manufacturing, finance, sales and marketing. Mr. Tickle has had twenty years of c-suite responsibility, including turnaround assignments, innovation and global strategy development, particularly focused on nutrition, health and wellness. His broad category experience includes coffee, confectionery, snacks, dairy, infant nutrition, milk modifiers, cereals, foodservice, personal care, tea, soups and cooking aids. From 2019 to 2020, Mr. Tickle served as chief executive officer at Shiftlineup, a software as a service human capital management company. From 2016 to 2019 Mr. Tickle was the chief executive officer of Hain Celestial North America, a NASDAQ-listed natural and organic food company. Prior to that, he had an extensive international career with Nestle spanning over 25 years, starting in 1987. Mr. Tickle was the global strategic business unit head of infant nutrition where led the successful global acquisition and integration of Wyeth Nutrition, before coming to the United States to serve as president and chief executive officer of Nestle Nutrition North America. Mr. Tickle was also regional business head of South Asia, based in New Delhi, India, and chief executive officer of Nestle New Zealand for five years. He has held a number of industry leadership roles, including chairman of the infant Nutrition Council of America and vice chairman of the Food and Grocery Council in New Zealand. He also served as a Board Member of Buckley Country Day School in New York and today is an external advisor on the AT Kearney Consumer Industries and Retail Panel. Mr. Tickle also serves as a mentor on the Denver Small Business Development Council. Mr. Tickle holds an MBA with Distinction from Deakin University in Australia, a Bachelor of Business in Operations Management/Human Resource Management and Post Graduate Degree in Finance.

 

Deb Benovitz will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Ms. Benovitz has more than 30 years of consumer experience in leading consumer-focused companies. Her particular area of expertise is in brand transformation. She has played a key role in the transformation of major brands such as LEGO, Dove (via the Campaign for Real Beauty) and Pepsi. Ms. Benovitz currently serves as senior vice president, global marketing/competitive intelligence and human truths for WW (formerly Weight Watchers), a position she has held since September 2014. She sits on the executive committee at WW, reporting to the chief executive officer. In her role, she delivers strategic consumer insights to drive business growth, manages the global consumer insights department, and spearheads WW’s goal of democratizing wellness and making it accessible to all. In addition, Ms. Benovitz is responsible for ensuring that all innovation, brand, science and tech design work, begins with a consumer need, and stays true to the consumer throughout the process. She led WW’s wellness agenda and was part of a small team that crafted the company’s wellness vision and mission. From 2009 to 2014, she was vice president of global consumer insights at PepsiCo, where she led their cutting-edge, future-focused insights department serving 30 markets around the world. Ms. Benovitz has extensive experience in brand, consumer, competitive intelligence, shopper and tech user experience research among adults and children, including innovation, trend tracking, new product and concept research, advertising assessment, segmentation research, brand equity and tracking research, usage and attitude work, needs identification, consumer journey mapping, creative insight generation, and analytics. Ms. Benovitz holds a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin.

 

Jason Reiser will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Reiser has over 35 years of retail and healthcare experience, spanning operations, government relations, compliance, merchandizing, global sourcing, and digital tools across multiple retail channels including mass (Wal-Mart), value (Family Dollar and Dollar General), and specialty (Vitamin Shoppe). From 2017 to 2020, he served as the executive vice president, chief merchandising officer for Dollar General with responsibility for merchandising, marketing, digital tools, sourcing and in-store experience. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. Reiser served as the chief operating officer of the Vitamin Shoppe with responsibilities for merchandising, supply chain, operations, marketing, digital and real estate. Prior to that he served as chief merchandising officer for Family Dollar from 2013 to 2016, with responsibility for merchandising, marketing, digital, sourcing and merchandising operations. Additionally, he also served as a board member for privately-held Slim Fast from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Reiser began his retail career working as a teenager in his family owned pharmacy, which led him to become a Registered Pharmacist, graduating from Northeastern University in 1993 with a B.S. in Pharmacy.

 

Deborah Weinswig will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Since February 2018, Ms. Weinswig has served as the chief executive officer and founder of Coresight Research, or Coresight, an international research and advisory firm that focuses on the intersection of retail and technology. Coresight’s areas of expertise include global cross-border ecommerce, startup innovation, emerging markets, digital transformation, and all things consumer. In addition, since October 2018, she has served on the board of directors for Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES), Kiabi, and Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELB). From 2014 to early 2018, Ms. Weinswig served as the founding Managing Director of Fung Global Retail and Technology, the research arm and Think Tank for The Fung Group, a leading trading and supply chain management company based in Hong Kong. In this role, she helped identify early-stage companies to partner with The Fung Group, played a key role in opening The Explorium Innovation Lab, an innovation hub focused on the global supply chain, and helped build an entire research platform from production to publication. Ms. Weinswig’s deep understanding of global retail and emerging technology trends was developed through her extensive banking career, which included 12 years as head of the global staples and consumer discretionary team at Citi Research, as well as senior research positions at Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley. She sits on the boards of directors for philanthropic organizations including Goodwill Industries New York/New Jersey, and in 2020 she founded RetailersUnited, a nonprofit dedicated to small- to mid-size enterprise retailers and fashion brands impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Ms. Weinswig is a certified public accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

 

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Competitive Strengths of our Management Team

 

Capital Markets Experience: Our management team has experience raising capital for initial public offerings and secondary offerings, which gives us a distinct competitive advantage among the special purpose acquisition company industry. We understand the types of companies that will benefit most from access to the public markets.

 

Buy-side/Sell-side Perspective: As we aim to create substantial value for our shareholders, we believe that our team’s direct buy-side and sell-side experiences provides us with the perspective of institutional investors and shareholders. Our specific expertise surrounding special situations, merger arbitrage, and special purpose acquisition companies will further benefit our approach and process.

 

Proprietary Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships: Through our networks, we have both opportunities that are unique to our team and insights into various industries within the consumer space that are not as readily available to a majority of other special purpose acquisition companies.

 

Wide Range of Consumer Industries: We purposefully built our management to have a wide range of consumer industry expertise including, but not limited to, fashion, food, beverage, pet, baby, toy, athleisure and fitness fashion, snacking, weight loss, packaging, construction, travel goods, and fitness, among others.

 

Consumer and Retailer Focus: Our team has a focus on both consumer and retailer industries, which will help us to understand and be successful within e-commerce, digital, branding, and supply chain, among others. We also have a strong focus on the retail industry, which will help us understand trends, margins, and issues directly impacting retailers. We believe that our experience in these two industries will make us an attractive partner to target companies.

 

Smaller Capital Size Raise: The majority of special purpose acquisition companies that have gone public and are looking to go public are over $200 million. We intend to focus on sub-$500 million enterprise value companies in the private markets, which we think are overlooked and undervalued.

 

The past performance of our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. None of our officers or directors, our sponsor, nor any of its respective officers, directors, employees, or affiliates, have had management experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition corporations in the past. You should not rely on their respective historical records or performance as indicative of our future performance.

 

Business Strategy and Target Industries

 

While we may pursue an initial business combination with a company in any sector, we intend to focus our search on the consumer sector and consumer-related businesses, which complements the expertise of our officers, directors, and advisors. We believe the consumer sector is poised for significant growth beginning in 2021 and lasting for years to come. According to Goldman Sachs Economist David Mericle, there will be a “consumption boom” that will start in the second half of 2021 as “restored opportunities to spend allow households to substantially lower their saving rates and spend accumulated excess savings.” Noted Yale University Sociologist Nicholas Christaskis, in his post-coronavirus pandemic book Apollo’s Arrow, noted that “consumption will likely come back with a vengeance.” Our team expects several years of consumer growth similar to what happened following the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which wrapped up by the end of 1919. Following that pandemic, the next decade was known as the “roaring twenties” whereby the U.S. economy grew 42% from 1921 to 1929. We believe that we are about to experience a very similar period in U.S. history and the consumer industry will be poised to benefit.

 

Within the consumer sector, our team is focusing on three areas: (1) health and wellness, referring to businesses focused on physical, mental, and social well-being; (2) businesses and brands, including the pet and fitness sectors, that have accelerated in growth due to the coronavirus pandemic; and (3) businesses that have fallen out of favor or that have otherwise suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, such as those in the fashion and travel sectors. Our team anticipates that both the first and second focus areas will further accelerate in growth due to the coronavirus pandemic. For example, in the health and wellness sector, consumers are increasingly adopting brands and companies that help them to adopt a healthy lifestyle, prevent getting sick, and support overall health. With respect to the third focus area, we believe that current enterprise values are discounted due to the coronavirus pandemic, which may create valuable opportunities. In addition to these three key areas, we will focus on businesses that have core competencies in digital and e-commerce, because we believe they will significantly impact the future of the consumer industry and overlap with our key areas of expertise. Specifically with respect to e-commerce, we believe the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift from physical in-store shopping to e-commerce by years.

 

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Our team has significant leadership and operational experience at some of the most well-known and well respected Fortune 100 consumer facing companies. In addition, our team has completed accretive acquisitions, restructurings, spinoffs, and divestments, which are core experiences that we will leverage within our company. Furthermore, we expect that the various backgrounds of the members of our management team will be key to sourcing public-ready companies for acquisition and will be attractive assets to the company with which we would contemplate a business combination. More specifically, our team has demonstrated expertise in the consumer industry and on the retailer landscape, as it is pivotal to understand the retailer margins and key trends in this industry. We believe that these industry focuses provide us with an advantage as compared to other special purpose acquisition companies in the industry. Lastly, certain members of our management team have previous special purpose acquisition company experience, which will assist in this overall process and in further sourcing companies with which to consummate a business combination.

 

Business Combination Criteria and Investment Philosophy

 

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

 

  · Sustainable Earnings with Significant Growth: We are looking to acquire a business that has an established market share, consistent cash flow, and significant growth potential.

 

  · Public Market Reception: During the acquisition process, we will place strong emphasis on the viability of the business to operate within the public markets, and additionally, the reception the markets will provide for the business we select. We intend to find a company that generates public market enthusiasm once an acquisition is announced.

 

  · Barriers to Entry: We will be looking at what, if any, barriers to entry there are for new competitors to come into the market or for current competitors to offer similar products. Ideally, the company we select will have a high barrier to entry, enabling stronger competitive advantages for the company we acquire.

 

  · Competitive Advantages: We will be examining the competitive advantages a company has established within its industry, and how these advantages enable the business to gain excess market share, higher margins, higher demand, among other advantages.

 

  · Public Markets Management Team: We are searching for a company that will have a management team ready for the public markets and that can operate with our team as advisors.

 

  · Leveraging our management team’s experiences: We intend to find a business that will complement our team’s expertise and enable our team to contribute significant value to its operations.

 

  · Other criteria: In evaluating prospective targets, we may also consider criteria such as general financial condition, capital requirements, internal structure, corporate governance, the impact of current and future regulations, licensing and other market and geographic-specific conditions.

 

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

 

Our Business Combination Process

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, (i) meetings with incumbent management and their advisors (if applicable); (ii) document reviews; (iii) interviews with various stakeholders, including, but not limited to, employees, customers and suppliers; (iv) on-site inspection of facilities; and (v) reviewing financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.

 

Our acquisition criteria, due diligence processes, and value creation methods are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our 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 SEC.

 

Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets

 

We believe that the operational and transactional experience of our management team and the relationships they have developed as a result of such experience, will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. These individuals and entities have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. This network has grown through sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses and maintaining relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams. Our management team members have significant experience in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions. We believe that these networks of contacts and relationships and this experience will provide us with important sources of investment opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest noncore assets or divisions.

 

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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a 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 may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

 

Other Acquisition Considerations

 

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

 

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future any of our officers and directors may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, no director or officer shall be disqualified or prevented from contracting with the company nor shall any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the company in which any director shall have an interest be liable to be avoided. A director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of such interest shall be disclosed at or prior to its consideration or any vote thereon by the board of directors. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors would materially affect our ability to complete our business combination.

 

Our officers and directors are not prohibited from becoming either a director or officer of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act.

 

Mr. Reiser, our director nominee, is currently restricted by non-compete, non-solicit and confidentiality provisions contained in his former employment agreement with Dollar General, which provisions are still in effect and prohibit Mr. Reiser from soliciting certain employees or managing certain businesses that broadly compete with the business activities of Dollar General. As a result, we will focus on acquisition targets outside of the discount consumable basics retail business. See “Risk Factors — Our director nominee, Jason Reiser, is party to an employment agreement that will limit the types of companies that we can target for an initial business combination, among other restrictions, which could limit our prospects for an initial business combination or make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies” and “Our director nominee, Jason Reiser, is party to an employment agreement that will limit his ability to solicit or hire employees of Dollar General, which could make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies.”

 

Initial Business Combination

 

Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more operating businesses or assets with an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions 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% fair market value test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view from any of the following: (i) an independent investment banking firm; (ii) another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire; or (iii) from an independent accounting firm. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the issued and 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 shareholders or for other reasons. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, which we refer to as the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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 business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target business or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. 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 shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. If our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% fair market test. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% fair market test even if our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq at the time of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

Corporate Information

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, which we refer to as 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, which we refer to as 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

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

 

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

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC. 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

 

Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies wishing to conduct business outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Law. As an exempted company, we have received a tax exemption undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (2018 Revision) of the Cayman Islands, such tax exemption applies for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, and means that no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.

 

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated on January 12, 2021. Our executive offices are located at 2 Manhattanville Road, Suite 403, Purchase, NY 10577, and our telephone is (914) 603-5016.

 

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THE OFFERING

 

In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 26 of this prospectus.

 

Securities offered:

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

 

·  One Class A ordinary share; and

 

·  One-half of one warrant, each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share.

Proposed Nasdaq symbols:

Units:  “CHWAU”

 

Class A Ordinary Shares: “CHWA”

 

Warrants:  “CHWAW”

Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants: The units will begin trading promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Chardan, the representative of the underwriters, 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Separate trading of Class A ordinary shares and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K: In no event will the Class A ordinary shares 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 of the company 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 underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Units:  
Number issued and outstanding before this offering: 0
Number issued and outstanding after this offering: 10,000,000(1)
Ordinary shares:  
Number issued and outstanding before this offering: 2,875,000(2)
Number issued and outstanding after this offering: 12,500,000(1),(3),(4)
Redeemable Warrants:  
Number issued and outstanding before this offering: 0
Number issued and outstanding after this offering: 5,000,000(1)

 

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Number of issued and outstanding after this offering and the private placement: 8,750,000(1)
Exercisability: Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one of our Class A ordinary shares. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination, since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses.

 

  (1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, and, if applicable, the forfeiture by our sponsor of 375,000 founder shares.

 

  (2) Consists solely of founder shares and includes up to 375,000 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Except as otherwise specified, the rest of this prospectus has been drafted to give effect to the full forfeiture by our sponsor of these 375,000 ordinary shares.

 

  (3) Includes 10,000,000 public shares and 2,500,000 founder shares.

 

  (4) Founder shares are classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares will convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution.”

 

 

Exercise price:

$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein.

 

In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.50 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), such price we refer to as 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 we refer to as the Market Value, is below $9.50 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 $16.50 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

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Exercise period:

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:

 

·  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 issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement).

 

We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares 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, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

 

Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

 

The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.

 

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Redemption of warrants:

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

 

·  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 ordinary shares equals or exceeds $16.50 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share consolidations, share capitalizations, rights issuances, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

We will not redeem the warrants, as described above, unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering.

 

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are issued and outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the last average reported sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Please see the section entitled “Description of Securities — Redeemable Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information

 

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

 

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Appointment of directors; voting rights:

Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a 3-year term.

Founder shares:

On January 18, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 2,875,000 founder shares (up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding any shares underlying any units our initial shareholders may purchase in this offering). As such, our sponsor, officers and directors will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any units in this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial shareholders at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding any shares underlying any units our initial shareholders may purchase in this offering) upon the consummation of this offering. Up to 375,000 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

 

The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:

 

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

 

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

 

·  our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) that would 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 the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares;

 

·  our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares 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 and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to such letter agreement, to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares held by our sponsor, officers and directors, we would need only 3,750,001, or approximately 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised);

 

·  the founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares 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 in more detail below and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; and

 

·  the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.

 

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Transfer restrictions on founder shares:

All of the founder shares issued and outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (1) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or the date on which the closing price of our common stock exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination, and (2) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier if approved by the shareholders of the Company, and in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 375,000 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for forfeiture and cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

 

During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and stockholders) participating in the private placement of the private placement warrants, officers, directors, stockholders, employees and members of our co-sponsors and their affiliates, (2) amongst initial stockholders or to our officers, directors and employees, (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased or (9) for the cancellation of up to 375,000  shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 9 or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and the insider letter, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate the trust account, none of our initial stockholders will receive any portion of the liquidation proceeds with respect to their founder shares. 

 

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Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights:

We have issued 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share subdivisions, share consolidations, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

 

In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts issued in this offering and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which the Class B ordinary shares will convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate and on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of all ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination, and any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares 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 adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

 Private placement warrants:

Our sponsor and Chardan have committed, pursuant to written agreements, to purchase an aggregate of 3,750,000 (or up to 4,087,500, depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($3,750,000 (or up to $4,087,500 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) in the aggregate) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.

 

The purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the net proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, 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 (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless.

 

The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us and will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees (except as described below under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their respective 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 ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described herein under “Principal Shareholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.”

 

In addition, for as long as the private placement warrants are held by Chardan or its designees or affiliates, they will be subject to the lock up and registration rights limitations imposed by FINRA Rule 5110 and may not be exercised after five years from the commencement of sales of this offering.

 

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Proceeds to be held in trust account:

Nasdaq listing 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 we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $100,000,000 ($10.00 per unit), or $115,000,000 ($10.00 per unit) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and $1,500,000 will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $3,500,000 (or up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.

 

The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds.

 

Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any (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 (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.

Anticipated expenses and funding sources:

Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $100,000 of interest annually (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and an interest rate of 0.1% per year) following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. 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 $500,000 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 have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination.

 

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Conditions to completing our initial business combination:

Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions 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 requirement as the 80% fair market value test. If our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% fair market value test. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% fair market value test even if our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq at the time of our initial business combination. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of the tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval as applicable.

 

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, another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire, or an independent accounting firm. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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 valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test, provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.

Permitted purchases of public shares and warrants by our affiliates:

If we seek shareholder 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, advisers or any of 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. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. There is no limit on the number of shares or warrants such persons may purchase in such transactions, or any restriction on the price that they may pay, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination.

 

However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M promulgated under the Exchange Act. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.

 

We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private 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. Our sponsor, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates will not make any purchases if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act

Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination:

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and 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 Chardan. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, our officers, and our directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares 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. Chardan will have the same redemption rights as public stockholders with respect to any public shares it may hold, if any.

 

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Manner of conducting redemptions:

We will provide our public shareholders 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 general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer.

 

The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder 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 Class A ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules.

 

If shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder 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.

 

We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.

 

If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. Chardan has not committed to vote any shares held by it in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and their respective permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

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If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:

 

·  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, 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 our Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares, which number will be based on the requirement that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination, after payment of the deferred underwriting commission to Chardan (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 shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.

Tendering share certificates in
connection with a tender offer
or redemption rights:
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve our 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 Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian System, which we refer to as the DWAC System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements.

 

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Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote: Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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 sold in this offering. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders 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 sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ 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 shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers and directors have, pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, waived their right to have any founder shares or public shares held by them redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. Chardan will have the same redemption rights as public stockholders with respect to any public shares it may hold, if any. Unless any of our other affiliates acquires founder shares through a permitted transfer from our sponsor, officers and directors, and thereby becomes subject to the letter agreement, no such affiliate is subject to this waiver. However, to the extent any such affiliate acquires public shares in this offering or thereafter through open market purchases, it would be a public shareholder and subject to the 15% limitation in connection with any such redemption right.
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our amended
and restated memorandum and articles
of association:
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, but excluding the provision of the articles relating to the appointment of directors), may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, 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 ordinary shares. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or in our initial business combination. Our initial shareholders will, in the aggregate, beneficially own approximately 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), and they will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) that would 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 the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares 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. Chardan will have the same redemption rights as public stockholders with respect to any public shares it may hold, if any.
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination: On the completion of our initial business combination, all amounts held in the trust account will be released to us, other than funds the trustee will use to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination.” We will use the remaining funds to pay Chardan the 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 or the redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital

 

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

Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands 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.

 

Our sponsor, 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 held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. Chardan has agreed to waive its rights to its deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering 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. If our sponsor, our directors, our officers, Chardan or any of their respective affiliates 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 frame.

 

Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules).

Limited payments to insiders:

There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

 

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

 

·  reimbursement for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to us by our sponsor, in the amount of $10,000 per month;

 

·  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, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.

 

These payments may be funded using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith.

 

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

 

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Audit committee: Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will 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 promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.”
Conflicts of Interest:

Certain of our directors and officers have fiduciary or contractual duties to certain other companies in which they have invested or advised. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. None of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our management team, in their capacities as members, officers, or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law and any other applicable duties. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

 

Each of our directors 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 director or officer is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may need to honor these fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. See “Risk Factors —Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.”

 

We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our directors

or officers will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

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Indemnity: Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. 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 third parties we currently expect to engage would be vendors such as lawyers, investment bankers, computer or information and technical services providers or prospective target businesses. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company, and, therefore, our sponsor may be unable to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations.

 

Risks

 

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of this Offering to those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 26 of this prospectus.

 

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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

 

 

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

   As of
January 18,
2021
 
Working capital deficit  $(30,000)
Total assets   50,000 
Total liabilities   30,000 
Shareholder’s equity  $20,000 

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

 

Some statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “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. Factors that may impact such forward-looking statements include:

 

  · our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
     
  · our ability to consummate an initial business combination, even if an appropriate target business is selected;

 

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

 

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

 

  · our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;
     
  · a member of our board of directors being subject to a non-competition covenant with his prior employer;

 

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

 

  · our pool of prospective target businesses in the consumer and consumer-related industries;

 

  · risks associated with acquiring an operating company or business in the consumer and consumer-related industries;

 

  · 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 being subject to claims of third parties; or

 

  · our financial performance following this offering.

 

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties summarized above, as well as those factors described in more detail under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page 26 of 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.

 

I.General Risk Factors

 

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

 

We are a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

 

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 January 18, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficit of $30,000. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and 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. 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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC. 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.

 

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II.Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination

 

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

 

We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable Cayman Islands law or the rules of the Nasdaq or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons. Examples of transactions that would not ordinarily require shareholder approval include asset acquisitions and share purchases, while transactions such as direct mergers with our company or transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares would require shareholder approval. For instance, the Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a shareholder meeting but would still require us to obtain shareholder 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 shareholder approval of such business combination. Except as required by law or Nasdaq rules, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders 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 shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination— Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.

 

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of such 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 any target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder approval. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the partner business’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a partner business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

 

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

 

The ability of our public shareholders 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.

 

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We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement 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 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition, as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.

 

The ability of our public shareholders 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 shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares 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 ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B shares at the time of the 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 underwriters 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 shareholders 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 shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.

 

The ability of our public shareholders 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.

 

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 increases. 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 shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares 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 shares in the open market.

 

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a 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 shareholders.

 

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

 

We may not be able to consummate our 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, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed 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 consummate an initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein, including as a result of terrorist attaches, natural disasters, or a significant outbreak of infectious diseases. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the pandemic on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters, or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.

 

If we have not completed our initial business combination within 24 months 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 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable, and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.” and other risk factors herein.

 

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If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, and their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.

 

If we seek shareholder 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, advisers, or any of their respective 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. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Additionally at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisers, or any of their respective affiliates are under no obligation or duty to do so, and they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such purchases or other transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions of such purchasers or other transactions. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which shareholders to seek to acquire shares. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, 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 respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders 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 our initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of our initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. These purchases may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to reporting requirements.

 

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

 

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

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares held by our initial purchasers, we would need only 3,750,001, or approximately 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Our initial shareholders will beneficially own shares representing approximately 20.0% of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering and the private placement (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders to vote in favor of our business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the necessary shareholder approval for such business combination than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares held by them in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.

 

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources or more industry knowledge than us, 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, if we are obligated to pay cash for the Class A ordinary shares redeemed and, in the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we make purchases of our Class A ordinary shares, potentially reducing the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.” and other risk factors herein.

 

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

 

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in United States government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in United States Treasuries and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act. Because the investment of the proceeds will be restricted to these instruments, we believe we will meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, 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, investments and results of operations.

 

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. 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 and results of operations.

 

If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 24 months following the closing of this offering, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such 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 24 months following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.” and other risk factors herein.

 

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

 

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders 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 shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders 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 shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their Class A ordinary 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.” and other risk factors herein.

 

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.

 

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 shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

We may seek acquisition opportunities with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.

 

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

 

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

 

Unless we complete our business combination with an affiliated entity, or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view from (i) an independent investment banking firm, (ii) another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire, or (iii) an independent accounting firm. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. However, if our board of directors is unable to determine the fair value of an entity with which we seek to complete an initial business combination based on such standards, we will be required to obtain an opinion as described above.

 

Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that would otherwise provide protection to shareholders of other companies.

 

After completion of this offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a 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 Nasdaq rules;
  · we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

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  · we have independent director oversight of our director nominations.

 

We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, 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 shareholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements.

 

Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire 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.

 

On January 18, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share, to cover certain offering costs in exchange for 2,875,000 founder shares (up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding any shares underlying any units our initial shareholders may purchase in this offering). If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding any shares underlying any units our initial shareholders may purchase in this offering) upon the consummation of this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.

 

In addition, our sponsor and Chardan have committed to purchase an aggregate of 3,750,000 (or up to 4,087,500 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($3,750,000 (or up to $4,087,500 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) in the aggregate) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each private placement warrant is exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The terms of the private placement warrants are identical to those of the public warrants, except as described in below in “Description of Securities – Redeemable Warrants – Private Placement Warrants.”

 

The founder shares are identical to the ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering except that (i) only the holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination, (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, (iii) our sponsor, 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 their founder shares 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 and (B) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame) and (iv) the founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares 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 and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

 

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.

 

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

 

Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to approximately $3,500,000 (or up to $4,025,000 if the 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 simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. 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. 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 seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.

 

We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.

 

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

We may structure a business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders 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 issued and 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 shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new ordinary shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares and/or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business.

 

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

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement 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 shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder 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, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

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In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.

 

In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the period of time in which it had to consummate a business combination. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments or extend the time in which we have to consummate a business combination through amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which will require at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law.

 

The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will 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 at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, 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 memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions, including those 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 shareholders as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or 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), but excluding the provision of the articles relating to the appointment of directors, may be amended if approved by holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote in a general meeting, 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 ordinary shares. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our initial shareholders, which will collectively beneficially own approximately 20.0% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner it chooses. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

 

Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without shareholder approval.

 

Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the investment management trust agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees, the registration rights agreement between us and our sponsor, Chardan, and our other initial shareholders, the administrative services agreement between us and our sponsor, may be amended without shareholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public shareholders might deem to be material. For example, the underwriting agreement related to this offering contains a covenant that the target company that we acquire must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the transaction with such target business (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) so long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendment may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.

 

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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.

 

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. 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 shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.” and other risk factors below.

 

Our director nominee, Jason Reiser, is party to an employment agreement that will limit the types of companies that we can target for an initial business combination, among other restrictions, which could limit our prospects for an initial business combination or make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies

 

Jason Reiser, our director nominee, is party to an employment agreement with Dollar General, which contains confidentiality, non-competition, and non-solicitation provisions. Until March 2023, Mr. Reiser generally will be restricted from engaging as an employee, consultant, advisor, director, agent, promoter or independent contractor in any business involving discount consumable basics or any other business in which Dollar General is engaged in jurisdictions in the United States in which Dollar General or a subsidiary maintained stores as of the date of Mr. Reiser’s termination of employment, or in any other jurisdiction in the United States in which Dollar General or a subsidiary had specific and demonstrable plans to open stores within six months from the date of Mr. Reiser’s termination of employment.

 

Our director nominee, Jason Reiser, is party to an employment agreement that will limit his ability to solicit or hire employees of Dollar General, which could make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies.

 

In the employment agreement entered into by Jason Reiser, our director nominee, with Dollar General, there are provisions preventing him from being able to directly or indirectly knowingly solicit, entice, or persuade any other employee, agent, consultant, or representative of Dollar General or its affiliated companies to leave the services of Dollar General for any reason and restricting Mr. Reiser from hiring any employee of Dollar General or any person known to be employed by Dollar General during the previous 180 days. To the extent a target company may be interested in hiring personnel from Dollar General, we might be a less attractive buyer as a result of such agreement.

 

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 occurrence of a natural disaster.

 

Our business could be adversely affected by severe weather conditions and natural disasters. Any of such occurrences could cause severe disruption to our daily operations, and may even require a temporary closure of our operations across one or more markets. Such closures may disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our operations could also be disrupted if our third-party service providers, business partners or acquisition targets were affected by such natural disasters. If the disruptions posed by such events continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

 

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III.Risks Relating to Our Securities

 

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months of the closing of this offering, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such 24 months before redemption from our trust account.

 

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less up to $100,000 of the net interest earned thereon to pay dissolution expenses), pro rata to our public shareholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the initial 24 months 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 or liquidation unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

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 share 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 identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any shareholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a shareholder or warrant holder following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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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 shareholders 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 auditors), 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 shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver only if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.

 

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors.

 

Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Our sponsor may not have sufficient funds available to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations, and therefore, no funds are currently set aside to cover any such obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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

 

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

 

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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 shareholders.

 

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay 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 may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

 

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, to pay our taxes and 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 $500,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $500,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team, nor any of their respective affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or officers or directors, because we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share (or less in certain circumstances) on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share.” and other risk factors herein.

 

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

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. 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 shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders 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. We and our officers and directors who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine of up to $18,293 and to imprisonment for up to five years in the Cayman Islands.

 

We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our public shareholders will not have the right to appoint directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual general meetings in order to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a 3-year term.

 

The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders and Chardan 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 ordinary shares.

 

Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our sponsor, our directors, our officers, Chardan and their respective permitted transferees can demand that we register the offer and sale of the private placement warrants (and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon their exercise), and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of the founder shares after the founder shares convert to our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. We will bear the cost of registering the offer and sale of these securities. The registration and availability of the offer and sale 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 ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. Shareholders 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 ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our sponsor, officers and directors or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

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

 

We may pursue acquisition opportunities in any one of numerous industries, except that we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations and we will not seek a company in the discount consumable basics retail business because of the non-competition agreement entered into by Mr. Reiser with Dollar General. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or an early stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholders or warrant holders who choose to remain shareholders or warrant holders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the tender offer materials or proxy statement relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

  

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

 

We are not registering the offer and sale of the Class A ordinary shares 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, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the offer and sale of such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares 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 offer and sale of the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption is available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the offer and sale of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are, at the time of any exercise of a warrant, not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the offer and sale of such shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering.

 

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We may issue additional Class A ordinary or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares 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 memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 100,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share and 1,000,000 undesignated preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 90,000,000 and 7,500,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A and Class B ordinary shares available, respectively, for issuance, which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of issued and outstanding warrants (including the private placement warrants) and upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.

 

We may issue a substantial number of additional ordinary shares, and may issue preference shares, in order to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions that will be contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares:

 

  · may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;

 

  · may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares;

 

  · could cause a change in control if a substantial number of ordinary shares 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, ordinary shares and/or warrants.

 

The past performance of our management team, sponsor or any of their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.

 

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team, sponsor, or any of their respective affiliates, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience of and performance by our management team, sponsor, or any of their respective affiliates is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team, sponsor, or any of their respective affiliates, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward.

 

If a shareholder 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 shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Business Strategy— Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”

 

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

 

Our public shareholders 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 shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Holders of warrants will not have any right to proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

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

 

We intend to apply to have our units listed on the Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on the Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be separately listed on the Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on the Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders, with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and our shareholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

 

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

 

  · a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

  · reduced liquidity for our securities;

 

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

 

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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 shareholder 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 shareholders 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.

 

If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ 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 issued and 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 security is payable on demand;

 

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

 

  · our inability to pay dividends on our ordinary shares;

 

  · 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 ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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Our initial shareholders will control the appointment 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 appoint all of our directors and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

 

Upon the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own approximately 20.0% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares will entitle the initial shareholders 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. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. As a result, you will not have any influence over the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination.

 

Neither our sponsor nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, as a result of its substantial ownership in our company, our initial shareholders may exert a substantial influence on other actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial shareholders purchase any additional ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their influence over these actions. In addition, our board of directors, whose members are elected by our initial shareholders, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial shareholders, because of their ownership position, will control the outcome, as only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a shareholder vote at least until the completion of our initial business combination.

 

Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution upon the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.

 

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the ordinary shares and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 84.6% (or $8.46 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $1.54 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, 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 ordinary shares.

 

The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.

 

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

 

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

 

  · prior offerings of those companies;

 

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

 

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

 

  · our capital structure;

 

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

 

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

 

  · other factors as were deemed relevant.

 

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

 

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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 Class A ordinary shares and the one half of a warrant included in each unit could be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or 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. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations— United States Federal Income Taxation— General”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares 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 captioned “Income Tax Considerations— United States Federal Income Taxation” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when acquiring, holding or disposing of our securities.

 

We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.

 

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception and the status of an acquired company pursuant to our initial business combination (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations— United States Federal Income Taxation— U.S. Holders— Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, moreover, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would likely be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Income Tax Considerations — United States Federal Income Taxation— U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.

 

We may re-domicile or reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, which may result in taxes imposed on shareholders and warrant holders.

 

We may, in connection with our initial business combination, re-domicile or reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders to pay such taxes. Shareholders and warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.

 

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. Shareholders 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, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

 

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

 

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

 

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 acquisition.

 

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, 2022. 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 business 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 acquisition.

 

Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include 3-year director terms and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.

 

We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.

 

Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.

 

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Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders 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 and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders 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 shareholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their Class A ordinary 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 shareholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors.

 

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 a majority of the then issued and outstanding public warrants.

 

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 a majority of the then issued and 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 a majority of the then issued and outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least a majority of the then issued and outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

 

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

 

Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two 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 an initial business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

 

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

 

Unlike some other blank check companies, if

 

  (i) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.50 per share;

 

  (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 $9.50 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 $16.50 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

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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 issued and outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A ordinary shares equal or exceed $16.50 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share consolidations, share capitalizations, rights issuances, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such shares under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in this offering. Redemption of the issued and outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the issued and outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the shares and warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the public warrants being sold in this offering.

 

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

 

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

 

Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors we hold prior to the completion of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 5,000,000 of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 3,750,000 private placement warrants. Prior to this offering, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,875,000 founder shares (of which 375,000 are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full) in a private placement. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In addition, if our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors make any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

 

The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the private placement warrants (i) will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the initial purchaser until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.

 

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Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.

 

We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our officers or directors, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our officers or directors.

 

Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully-developed and judicially-interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a federal court of the United States.

 

Shareholders of Cayman Islands exempted companies like the company have no general rights under Cayman Islands law to inspect corporate records or to obtain copies of the register of members of these companies. Our directors will have discretion under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to determine whether, and under what conditions, our corporate records may be inspected by our shareholders, but are not obliged to make them available to our shareholders. Thus, it may be more difficult for our shareholders to obtain the information needed to establish any facts necessary for a shareholder motion or to solicit proxies from other shareholders in connection with a proxy contest.

 

We have been advised by Maples and Calder, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

 

As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.

 

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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.

 

IV.Risks Relating to our Management Team, our Sponsor, and their respective Affiliates

 

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, Mark Grundman (Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and a Director), Jonah Raskas (Co-Chief Executive Officer and a Director) and Paul Norman (President). We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers or directors. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our officers or directors could have a detrimental effect on us.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation 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 business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. 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.

 

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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 a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers may be engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Certain of our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, and they are not prohibited from sponsoring, or otherwise becoming involved with, other blank check companies prior to us completing our initial business combination. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Directors, Director Nominees and Officers.”

 

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 determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

 

Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in making and managing investments in a similar business, although our officers may not become an officer of any other special purpose acquisition companies with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering.

 

Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.

 

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

 

Our officers, directors, security holders and each of 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 any of their affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we 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.

 

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

 

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, and directors. Our officers and directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “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 a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors or existing security holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

 

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

 

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

 

Since our sponsor, officers and directors, and each of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any bona-fide, documented out-of-pocket expenses 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.

 

At the closing of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors, and each of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any bona-fide, documented 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. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf. These financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination and completing an initial business combination.

 

We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.

 

We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

V.Risks Relating to Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries

 

We may seek acquisition opportunities in foreign countries that are subject to political, economic, and other uncertainties.

 

We may seek acquisition opportunities that have operations outside the United States. As a result, we could face political and economic risks and other uncertainties with respect these potential international operations. These risks may include the following, among other things:

 

  · loss of revenue, property, and equipment or delays in operations as a result of hazards such as expropriation, war, piracy, acts of terrorism, insurrection, civil unrest, and other political risks, including tension and confrontations among political parties;

 

  · transparency issues in general and, more specifically, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and other anti-corruption compliance laws and issues;

 

  · increases in taxes and governmental royalties;

 

  · unilateral renegotiation of contracts by governmental entities;

 

  · redefinition of international boundaries or boundary disputes;

 

  · difficulties enforcing our rights against a governmental agency because of the doctrine of sovereign immunity and foreign sovereignty over international operations;

 

  · difficulties enforcing our rights against a governmental agency in the absence of an appropriate and adequate dispute resolution mechanism to address contractual disputes, such as international arbitration;

 

  · changes in laws and policies governing operations of foreign-based companies;

 

  · foreign-exchange restrictions; and

 

  · international monetary fluctuations and changes in the relative value of the U.S. dollar as compared to the currencies of other countries in which we conduct business.

 

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Outbreaks of civil and political unrest and acts of terrorism have occurred in countries close to or where we may seek an acquisition. Continued or escalated civil and political unrest and acts of terrorism in the countries in which we may operate could result in our curtailing operations or delays in project completions. In the event that countries in which we may operate experience civil or political unrest or acts of terrorism, especially in events where such unrest leads to an unseating of the established government, our operations could be materially impaired. Our potential international operations may also be adversely affected, directly or indirectly, by laws, policies, and regulations of the United States affecting foreign trade and taxation, including U.S. trade sanctions. Realization of any of the factors listed above could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

 

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

 

We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders to pay such taxes. Shareholders 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:

 

  · costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;

 

  · 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;

 

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

 

  · currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

  · rates of inflation;

 

  · challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

  · cultural and language differences;

 

  · employment regulations;

 

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

 

  · deterioration of political relations with the United States.

 

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

 

After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our officers and directors will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.

 

It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our officers and directors will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our officers or directors or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our officers and directors under United States laws.

 

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

 

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

 

We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

 

In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.

 

Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.

 

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

 

We employ a mail forwarding service, which may delay or disrupt our ability to receive mail in a timely manner.

 

Mail addressed to the us and received at our registered office will be forwarded unopened to the forwarding address supplied by us to be dealt with. Neither us nor any of our directors, officers, or service providers (including the organization which provides registered office services in the Cayman Islands) will bear any responsibility for any delay howsoever caused in mail reaching the forwarding address, which may impair your ability to communicate with us.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We are offering 10,000,000 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 Fully
Exercised
 
Gross proceeds          
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)  $100,000,000   $115,000,000 
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement   3,750,000    4,087,500 
Total gross proceeds  $103,750,000   $119,087,500 
           
Offering expenses(2)          
Underwriting commissions (2.25% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portions)(3)  $2,250,000   $2,587,500 
Legal fees and expenses   225,000    225,000 
Accounting fees and expenses   30,000    30,000 
SEC/FINRA Expenses   30,297    30,297 
Director and officer liability insurance premiums   150,000    150,000 
Travel and road show   10,000    10,000 
Nasdaq listing and filing fees (excluding deferred fees)   5,000    5,000 
Printing and engraving expenses   35,000    35,000 
Miscellaneous(4)   14,703    14,703 
Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions)  $500,000   $500,000 
Proceeds after offering expenses  $101,000,000   $116,000,000 
Held in trust account(3)  $100,000,000   $115,000,000 
% of public offering size   100%   100%
Not held in trust account  $1,000,000   $1,000,000 

 

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

 

   Amount   % of Total 
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination  $400,000    40.0%
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations, including certain regulatory fees   150,000    15.0%
Nasdaq continued listing fees   75,000    7.5%
Administrative and support services   240,000    24.0%
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses   135,000    13.5%
Total  $1,000,000    100.0%

 

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

 

  (2) A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of January 18, 2021, we had borrowed $30,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,500,000 of offering proceeds that has 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.

 

  (3) The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of the base offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $3,500,000 (or up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, 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. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, $0.35 per over-allotment option unit, or up to $525,000 in the aggregate, will be deposited in the trust account as deferred underwriting commissions and will only be payable upon consummation of our initial business combination. Chardan will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

  (4) Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates

 

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  (5) These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring a business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an acquisition target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. Based on current interest rates, we would expect approximately $100,000 to be available to us from interest earned on the funds held in the trust account over 12 months following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. Government Treasury bills, however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. This estimate assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and an interest rate of 0.1% per annum based upon current yields of securities in which the trust account may be invested. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our sponsor, affiliate of our sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors, 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 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.

 

Nasdaq 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 warrants, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $3,500,000 (or up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the consummation of this offering, 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. Based on current interest rates, we estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $100,000 per year, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and an interest rate of 0.1% per year, following the investment of such funds in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account except for the withdrawal of interest to pay taxes, if any, 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 (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, 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 acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

 

Upon the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq, we will reimburse our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team, in the amount of $10,000 per month. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of January 18, 2021, we had borrowed $30,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

 

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In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, 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 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 shareholder 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, advisers, or any of their respective affiliates may also purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how such persons will determine which shareholders to seek to acquire shares from. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons 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.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may only redeem our public shares so long as our net tangible assets are at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (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 shareholders 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 business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or 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.

 

Our sponsor, our directors, and our officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to the founder shares 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. Chardan will have the same redemption rights as public stockholders with respect to any public shares it may hold, if any. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Chardan has agreed to waive its rights to its deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering 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. However, if our sponsor, any of our officers or directors, Chardan or any of their respective affiliates 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 frame.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

 

We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time and we will only pay such dividend out of our profits or share premium (subject to solvency requirements) as permitted under Cayman Islands law. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share capitalizations in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding any shares underlying any units our initial shareholders may purchase in this offering) upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

 

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DILUTION

 

The difference between the public offering price per Class A ordinary share, 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 ordinary share 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 shareholders 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 ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares.

 

At January 18, 2021, our net tangible book value was a deficit of $30,000 or approximately $(0.01) per Class B ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, 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 January 18, 2021, would have been $5,000,010 or $1.54 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 9,251,999 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $1.55 per share to our sponsor as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $8.46 per share or 84.6% to our public shareholders not exercising their redemption rights. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise the over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $8.64 per share or 86.4%.

 

The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units 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   $ (0.01 )           $ (0.01 )        
Increase attributable to new investors   $ 1.55             $ 1.37          
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants           $ 1.54             $ 1.36  
Dilution to public shareholders           $ 8.46             $ 8.64  
Percentage of dilution to new investors             84.6 %             86.40 %

   

For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $92,519,990 because holders of up to approximately 92.5% 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 general meeting, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering).

 

The following table sets forth information with respect to our sponsor and the public shareholders:

 

   Shares Purchased   Total Consideration   Average
Price per
 
   Number   Percentage   Amount   Percentage   Share 
Sponsor(1)(2)   2,500,000    20.0%  $25,000    0.02%  $0.01 
Public Shareholders   10,000,000    80.0%   100,000,000    99.98%   10.00 
    12,500,000    100.0%  $100,025,000    100.00%     

 

  (1) Assumes the full forfeiture of 375,000 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

 

  (2) Assumes conversion of Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis. The dilution to public shareholders would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon such conversion.

 

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   $ (30,000 )   $ (30,000 )
Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from net tangible book value before this offering     50,000       50,000  
Proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants, net of expenses     101,000,000       116,000,000  
Less: deferred underwriters’ commissions payable     (3,500,000 )     (4,025,000 )
Less: amount of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001     (92,519,990 )     (106,994,990 )
    $ 5,000,010     $ 5,000,010  
Denominator:                
Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to this offering     2,875,000       2,875,000  
Shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised     (375,000 )     -  
Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered     10,000,000       11,500,000  
Less: shares subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001     (9,251,999 )     (10,699,499 )
      3,248,001       3,675,501  

 

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization at January 18, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 10,000,000 units in this offering for $100,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 3,750,000 private placement warrants for $3,750,000 (or $1.00 per private placement warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:

 

   January 18, 2021 
   Actual   As Adjusted(1) 
Deferred underwriting commissions  $   $3,500,000 
Notes payable(2)   30,000     
Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption, $0.0001 par value, 0 and 9,251,999 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)       92,519,990 
           
Shareholders’ equity:          
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or issued and outstanding (actual and as adjusted)        
Ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 110,000,000 shares authorized (actual and adjusted)          
Class A ordinary shares, 100,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or issued and outstanding (actual); 0 shares authorized; 748,001 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 9,251,999 shares subject to redemption) (as adjusted)       75 
Class B ordinary shares, 10,000,000 shares authorized (actual and as adjusted); 2,875,000(4) shares issued and outstanding (actual); 2,500,000(4) shares issued and outstanding (as adjusted)   288    250 
Additional paid-in capital(5)   24,712    5,004,685 
Accumulated deficit   (5,000)   (5,000)
Total shareholders’ equity   20,000    5,000,010 
Total capitalization  $50,000   $101,020,000 

 

  (1) Assumes the full forfeiture of 375,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account, the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account nor will they be eligible to vote upon the initial business combination.

 

  (2) Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of January 18, 2021, we had borrowed $30,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

 

  (3) Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) 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 business combination. The “as adjusted” amount of ordinary shares subject to redemption equals the “as adjusted” total assets of $101,020,000 less the “as adjusted” total liabilities of $3,500,000 less the “as adjusted” shareholders’ equity of $5,000,010. The value of ordinary shares that may be redeemed is equal to $10.00 per share (which is the assumed redemption price) multiplied by 9,251,999 ordinary shares, which is the maximum number of ordinary shares that may be redeemed for a $10.00 purchase price per share and still maintain $5,000,001 of net tangible assets either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

  (5) The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is equal to the “as adjusted” total shareholder’s equity of $5,000,010 less ordinary shares (par value) of $325 plus the accumulated deficit of $5,000.

 

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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 Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or other 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 sale of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our securities in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase contracts or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), our shares, debt or a combination of cash, shares and debt.

 

The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preference shares in a business combination:

 

  · may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;

 

  · may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares;

 

  · could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares 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 share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and

 

  · may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and

 

  · may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.

 

Similarly, if we issue debt or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, 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 ordinary shares;

 

  · 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 ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at January 18, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficit of $30,000. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

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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. We expect to generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to completion of this offering through advances on behalf of the company of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares to our sponsor and up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of January 18, 2021, we had borrowed $30,000 under the unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $500,000 and underwriting commissions of $3,500,000 (or $4,025,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $3,750,000 (or up to $4,087,500, depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) in the aggregate, will be $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $100,000,000 (or $115,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $3,500,000 (or up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions, will be deposited into a non-interest bearing 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 $500,000 we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $500,000, 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes, if any. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. To the extent that our ordinary shares 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 $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.

 

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 and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. 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 $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, 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 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 during that period to include approximately: $400,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting any business combinations; $150,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements, including certain regulatory fees; $75,000 for Nasdaq continued listing fees; $240,000 for office space, administrative and support services; and $135,000 for working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves.

 

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 or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into 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.

 

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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. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. 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 reporting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that 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 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 have our registered independent 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 expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.

 

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

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

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.

 

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Related Party Transactions

 

On January 18, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.009 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for 2,875,000 founder shares (up to 375,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. As such, our initial shareholders will collectively own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares (excluding any shares underlying any units our initial shareholders may purchase in this offering) after this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a capitalization or share surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares our initial shareholders at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (excluding any shares underlying any units our initial shareholders may purchase in this offering) upon the consummation of this offering. None of our sponsor, officers, and directors intends to purchase any units in this offering.

 

Upon the listing of our securities on the Nasdaq, we will reimburse our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team, in the amount of $10,000 per month. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors, advisers, and any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any bona-fide, documented 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. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisers, or any of their respective 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.

 

Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of January 18, 2021, we had borrowed $30,000 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the 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 and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. 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 $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, 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 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.

 

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Our sponsor and Chardan have committed to purchase an aggregate of 3,750,000 (or up to 4,087,500, depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($3,750,000 (or up to $4,087,500 depending on the extent to which the over-allotment option is exercised) in the aggregate) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each warrant is exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private placement warrants they hold to certain permitted transferees, including their respective directors, officers, and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities. In addition, the private placement warrants (and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon their exercise) will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the shares and warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the public warrants being sold in this offering.

 

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement that we will enter into with our sponsor, our directors, our officers, and Chardan on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register the offer and sale of certain securities under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register the offer and sale of certain of our securities held by them under the Securities Act and to have the resale of the securities covered thereby registered pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include the offer and sale of their securities in other registration statements filed by us. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the offer and sale of the securities covered thereby are released from their lock-up restrictions, as described herein. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

 

In addition, for as long as the private placement warrants are held by Chardan or its designees or affiliates, they will be subject to the lock up and registration rights limitations imposed by FINRA Rule 5110 and may not be exercised after five years from the commencement of sales of this offering.

 

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

 

As of January 21, 2021, 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.

 

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JOBS Act

 

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. 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 auditor’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 auditor’s report 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 Co-Chief Executive Officers’ compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

 

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PROPOSED BUSINESS

General

 

Members of our management team and board have significant experience in the consumer product and retail industries. Our mission is to leverage our collective experiences and skills in order to consummate an initial business combination within the consumer product or consumer-related industry. Our team has extensive executive level experiences in a variety of sectors including, but not limited to, fashion, food, beverage, pet, toy, athleisure, fitness, snacking, over-the-counter (“OTC”) health and wellness products, weight loss, and travel goods.

 

Our management team’s background also includes extensive experience in the retail industry that we believe gives us a unique advantage to identify target companies in the consumer industry that are positioned for growth and where we can add value through margin enhancement, the ability to capitalize on market trends, and advancing business-to-business relationships. We believe we can harness our network which spans many of the major retailers, such as Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Vitamin Shoppe, and Family Dollar, to enhance the prospects of our business combination target.

 

 

In addition to our industry expertise, our management team has significant transactional experience, having consummated and led major transactions in the sector.

 

  · Paul Norman, our President,  was formally President of Kellogg North America, or Kellogg, having started his career there in 1987. During his tenure at Kellogg, Mr. Norman was instrumental in accelerating mergers and acquisitions activity at Kellogg and he participated in significant transactions including the acquisition of RX bar by Kellogg in 2017 for $600 million..

 

  · Jonah Raskas, our Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director, was previously an investment banker at Rodman and Renshaw, where he focused on the capital markets, including work on initial public offerings and secondary offerings. We believe Mr. Raskas’s capital markets execution experience will provide leadership, not only in identifying targets best suited to go public, but also in executing a successful business combination..

 

  · Mark Grundman, our Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Director, has operating experience in consumer-oriented companies as well as buy-side and sell-side deal experience including working on the special situations desk at GAMCO Investors, Inc., formally known as Gabelli Asset Management, where he reported directly to Mario Gabelli. We believe that his experience in the mergers and acquisitions process will strengthen our ability to consummate a successful business combination.

 

  · Additionally, one of our board members held leadership positions during significant transactions, such as the sale of Del Monte Foods for more than $1 billion, and J.M. Smucker Company’s acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands for approximately $6 billion.

 

We intend to source deals through the relationships of our management team. Leveraging our industry knowledge and our vast network of contacts, we are confident in our proprietary sourcing of deal flow to originate and complete a business combination. Furthermore, our network includes investment bank, private equity, and hedge fund relationships that we plan to utilize once we are a public company. We anticipate that our relationships will be instrumental to our company completing an initial business combination within our 24-month timeframe.

 

We believe that our team’s collective operational experience within the consumer and retailer industries bring a unique value and approach. Members of our management team have participated in key brand growth strategies for some of the most well recognized brands in the industry such as Kellogg®, Dove®, Campbell’s®, Smucker’s®, Lego®, Pepsi®, Dr. Pepper Snapple®, Kraft®, Del Monte Foods®, Big Heart Pet Brands®, Voltaren®, PopTarts®, Kashi®, and Gas-X®. Our management team members built their careers at Fortune 100 consumer companies and our collective expertise covers key cross-functional areas that are of value within digital, e-commerce, supply chain, trademarking, profit and loss management, strategic planning, innovation, consumer insights, analytics, and packaging. From a retailer perspective, our team’s expertise includes merchandising, marketing, digital tools, sourcing and in-store customer experience management.

 

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Our Management Team

 

Our Executive Officers

 

Paul Norman has served as our President since February 2021. Mr. Norman is a global consumer products leader with over 30 years of experience creating brand and shareholder value. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Hearthside Food Solutions, a contract food manufacturer, Jones Soda Company (OTC:JSDA), a beverage company, and PureK Holdings (TSX-V: PKAN), a CBD retail products company. From 2019 to 2020, he served as chairman and CEO of HeavenlyRx, a privately held CBD wellness company. Prior to HeavenlyRx, Mr. Norman spent three decades at Kellogg, the $11 billion multinational food-manufacturing company, where his tenure was defined by transformation, profitable growth and shareholder value creation through strategic portfolio management, innovation and diverse talent development and leadership. He has deep experience in building brands while successfully navigating complex regulatory environments where challenges around marketing and nutrition/ ingredient labeling restrictions are constantly evolving. As president of Kellogg’s $9 billion North American business from 2015 to 2018, Mr. Norman led initiatives such as the exit of Direct Store Delivery, which transformed US Snacks to a warehouse pull model. He was instrumental in accelerating mergers and acquisitions activity at Kellogg, including Kellogg’s acquisition of RX bar in 2017 for $600 million. In his role, Mr. Norman interacted regularly with the Kellogg board of directors, attending all board meetings and collaborating closely with several sub-committees. He also participated in analyst and investor calls for the company. Prior to serving as president of Kellogg’s North American business in 2015, Mr. Norman served as the company’s chief growth officer from 2013 to 2015, where he developed the Kellogg global category operating model. In that role he focused on long-term innovation, building sales and marketing capability, and long-term strategy for the company’s breakfast and snacks categories. Concurrent with the chief growth officer role, Mr. Norman served as interim president of the U.S. Morning Foods business, which generated approximately $3 billion in revenues. In 2008, he was promoted to president of Kellogg International, where he built a team and platform to support international growth, a key pillar of the company’s growth plan. As part of that team, Mr. Norman helped to facilitate the acquisition of Pringles® in 2012, which was key to the company’s plans for global expansion and growth. In 2012, he led the integration of Pringles® and the restructuring of Kellogg’s European business to implement the new “Wired to Win” operating model, which resulted in significantly improved European top and bottom line performance. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Norman led U.S. Morning Foods, which included cereal, PopTarts®, the Kashi Company, and the frozen foods division, to five years of sequential profitable sales and share growth. He was named managing director of Kellogg’s U.K./ Republic of Ireland business in 2002, where he successfully led a turnaround in sales performance and helped to grow the company’s cereal market share for the first time in 11 years. In 2000, Mr. Norman became president of Kellogg Canada Inc. and from 1989 to 2000, he held progressively more senior marketing roles at U.S. Morning Foods across France, Canada, Latin America and the U.S. In addition to his time at Kellogg, from 2016 to 2018 Mr. Norman served as a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association board of directors, where he served on the executive committee. He also served as a Trustee of the Food Marketing Institute Foundation board, from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Norman received a bachelor’s degree with honors in French from Portsmouth Polytechnic.

 

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Jonah Raskas has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since January 2021. Since 2016, Mr. Raskas has worked in the consumer industry, as brand manager at GlaxoSmithKline plc, or GSK, and has led several business lines for the company. All business lines he has led sell millions of products on an annual basis. At GSK, Mr. Raskas has focused on digital, e-commerce, innovation profit and loss management, and overall strategy. Most recently, he led all e-commerce and digital for the first prescription to over-the-counter in the pain category in more than 20 years. There are, on average, only one to two prescription switches annually in the consumer industry and Mr. Raskas led one of them in 2020. He is also part of the US Consumer Healthcare Emerging Leaders Program at GSK. From 2008 to 2010, he was an investment banker at Rodman and Renshaw, a mid-tier investment bank. Mr. Raskas was primarily focused on initial public offerings and secondary offerings, giving him capital market and public market exposure. Mr. Raskas started his career in 2007 working in the White House in the Speechwriting Office for President George W. Bush. There, he focused on market research and reviewing speeches that were written for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. He will leverage his extensive network within the capital markets and consumer industry in order to identify ideal targets for acquisition business combination. Mr. Raskas also graduated summa cum laude with a MBA from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University with a focus on Accounting and Marketing.

 

Mark Grundman has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since January 2021 and our Chief Financial Officer since February 2021. Mr. Grundman brings direct experience within a range of businesses, such as helipads, chemical plants, packaged consumer goods, and janitorial services. In early 2020, he established his own firm, MJG Partners, LLC, which focuses on small business investing and investment advising. From 2018 to 2019, he served as president of VPG International, LLC, a newly-acquired framed art business within a portfolio of investor-owned companies. From 2006 to 2016, Mr. Grundman worked at GAMCO Investors, Inc. (NYSE: GBL), a leading institutional asset management firm. From 2013 to 2014, he took a leave of absence to attended Columbia Business School, where he received his MBA. After graduating from Columbia, he rejoined the company to focus on building out a sell-side special situations department. During his tenure at GAMCO, Mr. Grundman held various roles including trading desk analyst, focusing on special situation investing, including merger arbitrage, spinoffs, special purpose acquisition companies, liquidations, and other arbitrage opportunities, ultimately reporting directly to Mario Gabelli, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of GAMCO. In addition to his investing focus, Mr. Grundman was responsible for presenting and reviewing the portfolio strategy and performance to the board of directors and major investors of GAMCO’s publicly traded mutual funds as well as the separately managed accounts and sub accounts of the firm. Mr. Grundman brings a unique and valuable perspective to our strategic approach, in terms of public market reception, operational excellence, and sustainability.

 

Our Board of Directors

 

In addition to Messrs. Raskas and Grundman, the following individuals will serve on our Board of Directors:

 

M. Carl Johnson, III, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Johnson is currently Chairman of the Board of Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE:NLS), a fitness solutions company, and has served in this capacity since 2010. He also served as interim chief executive officer of Nautilus from March 2019  through July 2019. From 2011 to 2015, he served as group executive vice president/brands and chief growth officer of Del Monte Foods (2011-2014) and chief growth officer and executive vice president, marketing, for Big Heart Pet Brands, the successor company to Del Monte Foods (2014- 2015), and senior advisor, J. M. Smucker Co., following its acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands (2015). From 2001 to 2011, Mr. Johnson served as senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Campbell Soup Company.  From 1992-2001, he served in various roles at Kraft Food Group, Inc.:  Vice President, Strategy, Kraft USA (1992-93); EVP & General Manager, Specialty Products Division, Kraft USA (1993-94); EVP & General Manager, Meals Division, Kraft Foods, N.A.; EVP & President, New Meals Division, Kraft Foods, N.A. (1997-2001).  Prior to that, Mr. Johnson held roles at Marketing Corp. of America, Polaroid Corp., and Colgate-Palmolive. Mr. Johnson, brings a broad set of skills to our board of directors, which he developed through helping lead, iconic American companies such as Campbell Soup Company, Kraft, Polaroid, Colgate-Palmolive, managing multi-billion dollar businesses, and serving on c-suite leadership teams.

 

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Gary Tickle will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Tickle is an industry leader with 30 years of global experience successfully driving growth and transformation in consumer packaged goods, or CPG, businesses. He held leadership roles across various functions including supply chain, manufacturing, finance, sales and marketing. Mr. Tickle has had twenty years of c-suite responsibility, including turnaround assignments, innovation and global strategy development, particularly focused on nutrition, health and wellness. His broad category experience includes coffee, confectionery, snacks, dairy, infant nutrition, milk modifiers, cereals, foodservice, personal care, tea, soups and cooking aids. From 2019 to 2020, Mr. Tickle served as chief executive officer at Shiftlineup, a software as a service human capital management company. From 2016 to 2019 Mr. Tickle was the chief executive officer of Hain Celestial North America, a NASDAQ-listed natural and organic food company. Prior to that, he had an extensive international career with Nestle spanning over 25 years, starting in 1987. Mr. Tickle was the global strategic business unit head of infant nutrition where led the successful global acquisition and integration of Wyeth Nutrition, before coming to the United States to serve as president and chief executive officer of Nestle Nutrition North America. Mr. Tickle was also regional business head of South Asia, based in New Delhi, India, and chief executive officer of Nestle New Zealand for five years. He has held a number of industry leadership roles, including chairman of the infant Nutrition Council of America and vice chairman of the Food and Grocery Council in New Zealand. He also served as a Board Member of Buckley Country Day School in New York and today is an external advisor on the AT Kearney Consumer Industries and Retail Panel. Mr. Tickle also serves as a mentor on the Denver Small Business Development Council. Mr. Tickle holds an MBA with Distinction from Deakin University in Australia, a Bachelor of Business in Operations Management/Human Resource Management and Post Graduate Degree in Finance.

 

Deb Benovitz will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Ms. Benovitz has more than 30 years of consumer experience in leading consumer-focused companies. Her particular area of expertise is in brand transformation. She has played a key role in the transformation of major brands such as LEGO, Dove (via the Campaign for Real Beauty) and Pepsi. Ms. Benovitz currently serves as senior vice president, global marketing/competitive intelligence and human truths for WW (formerly Weight Watchers), a position she has held since September 2014. She sits on the executive committee at WW, reporting to the chief executive officer. In her role, she delivers strategic consumer insights to drive business growth, manages the global consumer insights department, and spearheads WW’s goal of democratizing wellness and making it accessible to all. In addition, Ms. Benovitz is responsible for ensuring that all innovation, brand, science and tech design work, begins with a consumer need, and stays true to the consumer throughout the process. She led WW’s wellness agenda and was part of a small team that crafted the company’s wellness vision and mission. From 2009 to 2014, she was vice president of global consumer insights at PepsiCo, where she led their cutting-edge, future-focused insights department serving 30 markets around the world. Ms. Benovitz has extensive experience in brand, consumer, competitive intelligence, shopper and tech user experience research among adults and children, including innovation, trend tracking, new product and concept research, advertising assessment, segmentation research, brand equity and tracking research, usage and attitude work, needs identification, consumer journey mapping, creative insight generation, and analytics. Ms. Benovitz holds a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin.

 

Jason Reiser will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Reiser has over 35 years of retail and healthcare experience, spanning operations, government relations, compliance, merchandizing, global sourcing, and digital tools across multiple retail channels including mass (Wal-Mart), value (Family Dollar and Dollar General), and specialty (Vitamin Shoppe). From 2017 to 2020, he served as the executive vice president, chief merchandising officer for Dollar General with responsibility for merchandising, marketing, digital tools, sourcing and in-store experience. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. Reiser served as the chief operating officer of the Vitamin Shoppe with responsibilities for merchandising, supply chain, operations, marketing, digital and real estate. Prior to that he served as chief merchandising officer for Family Dollar from 2013 to 2016, with responsibility for merchandising, marketing, digital, sourcing and merchandising operations. Additionally, he also served as a board member for privately-held Slim Fast from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Reiser began his retail career working as a teenager in his family owned pharmacy, which led him to become a Registered Pharmacist, graduating from Northeastern University in 1993 with a B.S. in Pharmacy.

 

Deborah Weinswig will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Since February 2018, Ms. Weinswig has served as the chief executive officer and founder of Coresight Research, or Coresight, an international research and advisory firm that focuses on the intersection of retail and technology. Coresight’s areas of expertise include global cross-border ecommerce, startup innovation, emerging markets, digital transformation, and all things consumer. In addition, since October 2018, she has served on the board of directors for Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES), Kiabi, and Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELB). From 2014 to early 2018, Ms. Weinswig served as the founding Managing Director of Fung Global Retail and Technology, the research arm and Think Tank for The Fung Group, a leading trading and supply chain management company based in Hong Kong. In this role, she helped identify early-stage companies to partner with The Fung Group, played a key role in opening The Explorium Innovation Lab, an innovation hub focused on the global supply chain, and helped build an entire research platform from production to publication. Ms. Weinswig’s deep understanding of global retail and emerging technology trends was developed through her extensive banking career, which included 12 years as head of the global staples and consumer discretionary team at Citi Research, as well as senior research positions at Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley. She sits on the boards of directors for philanthropic organizations including Goodwill Industries New York/New Jersey, and in 2020 she founded RetailersUnited, a nonprofit dedicated to small- to mid-size enterprise retailers and fashion brands impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Ms. Weinswig is a certified public accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

 

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Competitive Strengths of our Management Team

 

Capital Markets Experience: Our management team has experience raising capital for initial public offerings and secondary offerings, which gives us a distinct competitive advantage among the special purpose acquisition company industry. We understand the types of companies that will benefit most from access to the public markets.

 

Buy-side/Sell-side Perspective: As we aim to create substantial value for our shareholders, we believe that our team’s direct buy-side and sell-side experiences provides us with the perspective of institutional investors and shareholders. Our specific expertise surrounding special situations, merger arbitrage, and special purpose acquisition companies will further benefit our approach and process.

 

Proprietary Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships: Through our networks, we have both opportunities that are unique to our team and insights into various industries within the consumer space that are not as readily available to a majority of other special purpose acquisition companies.

 

Wide Range of Consumer Industries: We purposefully built our management to have a wide range of consumer industry expertise including, but not limited to, fashion, food, beverage, pet, baby, toy, athleisure and fitness fashion, snacking, weight loss, packaging, construction, travel goods, and fitness, among others.

 

Consumer and Retailer Focus: Our team has a focus on both consumer and retailer industries, which will help us to understand and be successful within e-commerce, digital, branding, and supply chain, among others. We also have a strong focus on the retail industry, which will help us understand trends, margins, and issues directly impacting retailers. We believe that our experience in these two industries will make us an attractive partner to target companies.

 

Smaller Capital Size Raise: The majority of special purpose acquisition companies that have gone public and are looking to go public are over $200 million. We intend to focus on sub-$500 million enterprise value companies in the private markets, which we think are overlooked and undervalued.

 

The past performance of our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. None of our officers or directors, our sponsor, nor any of its respective officers, directors, employees, or affiliates, have had management experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition corporations in the past. You should not rely on their respective historical records or performance as indicative of our future performance.

 

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Business Strategy and Target Industries

 

While we may pursue an initial business combination with a company in any sector, we intend to focus our search on the consumer sector and consumer-related businesses, which complements the expertise of our officers, directors, and advisors. We believe the consumer sector is poised for significant growth beginning in 2021 and lasting for years to come. According to Goldman Sachs Economist David Mericle, there will be a “consumption boom” that will start in the second half of 2021 as “restored opportunities to spend allow households to substantially lower their saving rates and spend accumulated excess savings.” Noted Yale University Sociologist Nicholas Christaskis, in his post-coronavirus pandemic book Apollo’s Arrow, noted that “consumption will likely come back with a vengeance.” Our team expects several years of consumer growth similar to what happened following the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which wrapped up by the end of 1919. Following that pandemic, the next decade was known as the “roaring twenties” whereby the U.S. economy grew 42% from 1921 to 1929. We believe that we are about to experience a very similar period in U.S. history and the consumer industry will be poised to benefit.

 

Within the consumer sector, our team is focusing on three areas: (1) health and wellness, referring to businesses focused on physical, mental, and social well-being; (2) businesses and brands, including the pet and fitness sectors, that have accelerated in growth due to the coronavirus pandemic; and (3) businesses that have fallen out of favor or that have otherwise suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, such as those in the fashion and travel sectors. Our team anticipates that both the first and second focus areas will further accelerate in growth due to the coronavirus pandemic. For example, in the health and wellness sector, consumers are increasingly adopting brands and companies that help them to adopt a healthy lifestyle, prevent getting sick, and support overall health. With respect to the third focus area, we believe that current enterprise values are discounted due to the coronavirus pandemic, which may create valuable opportunities. In addition to these three key areas, we will focus on businesses that have core competencies in digital and e-commerce, because we believe they will significantly impact the future of the consumer industry and overlap with our key areas of expertise. Specifically with respect to e-commerce, we believe the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the shift from physical in-store shopping to e-commerce by years.

 

Our team has significant leadership and operational experience at some of the most well-known and well respected Fortune 100 consumer facing companies. In addition, our team has completed accretive acquisitions, restructurings, spinoffs, and divestments, which are core experiences that we will leverage within our company. Furthermore, we expect that the various backgrounds of the members of our management team will be key to sourcing public-ready companies for acquisition and will be attractive assets to the company with which we would contemplate a business combination. More specifically, our team has demonstrated expertise in the consumer industry and on the retailer landscape, as it is pivotal to understand the retailer margins and key trends in this industry. We believe that these industry focuses provide us with an advantage as compared to other special purpose acquisition companies in the industry. Lastly, certain members of our management team have previous special purpose acquisition company experience, which will assist in this overall process and in further sourcing companies with which to consummate a business combination.

 

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Business Combination Criteria and Investment Philosophy

 

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

 

  · Sustainable Earnings with Significant Growth: We are looking to acquire a business that has an established market share, consistent cash flow, and significant growth potential.

 

  · Public Market Reception: During the acquisition process, we will place strong emphasis on the viability of the business to operate within the public markets, and additionally, the reception the markets will provide for the business we select. We intend to find a company that generates public market enthusiasm once an acquisition is announced.

 

  · Barriers to Entry: We will be looking at what, if any, barriers to entry there are for new competitors to come into the market or for current competitors to offer similar products. Ideally, the company we select will have a high barrier to entry, enabling stronger competitive advantages for the company we acquire.

 

  · Competitive Advantages: We will be examining the competitive advantages a company has established within its industry, and how these advantages enable the business to gain excess market share, higher margins, higher demand, among other advantages.

 

  · Public Markets Management Team: We are searching for a company that will have a management team ready for the public markets and that can operate with our team as advisors.

 

  · Leveraging our management team’s experiences: We intend to find a business that will complement our team’s expertise and enable our team to contribute significant value to its operations.

 

  · Other criteria: In evaluating prospective targets, we may also consider criteria such as general financial condition, capital requirements, internal structure, corporate governance, the impact of current and future regulations, licensing and other market and geographic-specific conditions.

 

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

 

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Our Business Combination Process

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, (i) meetings with incumbent management and their advisors (if applicable); (ii) document reviews; (iii) interviews with various stakeholders, including, but not limited to, employees, customers and suppliers; (iv) on-site inspection of facilities; and (v) reviewing financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.

 

Our acquisition criteria, due diligence processes, and value creation methods are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our 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 SEC.

 

Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets

 

We believe that the operational and transactional experience of our management team and the relationships they have developed as a result of such experience, will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. These individuals and entities have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships around the world. This network has grown through sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses and maintaining relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams. Our management team members have significant experience in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions. We believe that these networks of contacts and relationships and this experience will provide us with important sources of investment opportunities. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates may be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest noncore assets or divisions.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a 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 may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

 

Other Acquisition Considerations

 

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

 

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Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future any of our officers and directors may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, no director or officer shall be disqualified or prevented from contracting with the company nor shall any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the company in which any director shall have an interest be liable to be avoided. A director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of such interest shall be disclosed at or prior to its consideration or any vote thereon by the board of directors. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors would materially affect our ability to complete our business combination.

 

Our officers and directors are not prohibited from becoming either a director or officer of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act.

 

Mr. Reiser, our director nominee, is currently restricted by non-compete, non-solicit and confidentiality provisions contained in his former employment agreement with Dollar General, which provisions are still in effect and prohibit Mr. Reiser from soliciting certain employees or managing certain businesses that broadly compete with the business activities of Dollar General. As a result, we will focus on acquisition targets outside of the discount consumable basics retail business. See “Risk Factors — Our director nominee, Jason Reiser, is party to an employment agreement that will limit the types of companies that we can target for an initial business combination, among other restrictions, which could limit our prospects for an initial business combination or make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies” and “Our director nominee, Jason Reiser, is party to an employment agreement that will limit his ability to solicit or hire employees of Dollar General, which could make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies.”

 

Initial Business Combination

 

Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more operating businesses or assets with an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions 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% fair market value test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion that the price we are paying for a target is fair to our company from a financial point of view from any of the following: (i) an independent investment banking firm; (ii) another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire; or (iii) from an independent accounting firm. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the issued and 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 shareholders or for other reasons. However, we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders 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 business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target business or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. 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 shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. If our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% fair market test. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% fair market test even if our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq at the time of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

Status as a Public Company

 

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their equity interests, shares and/or shares of stock in the target business for our shares or for a combination of our shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.

 

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Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.

 

While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may have a negative view of us since we are a blank check company, without an operating history, and there is uncertainty relating to our ability to obtain shareholder approval of our proposed initial business combination and retain sufficient funds in our trust account in connection therewith.

 

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second quarter, 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 promulgated by the SEC. 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

 

Financial Position

 

With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $96,500,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $3,500,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $110,975,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $4,025,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case 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 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.

 

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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 sale of the private placement warrants, our shares, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may, although we do not currently intend to, 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, start-up companies or companies with speculative business plans or excess leverage, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.

 

If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt 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 ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of 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 the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.

 

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

 

Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) 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 discounted cash flow valuation or value of comparable businesses. Our shareholders will be relying on the business judgment of our board of directors, which will have significant discretion in choosing the standard used to establish the fair market value of the target or targets, and different methods of valuation may vary greatly in outcome from one another. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from either (i) an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, (ii) another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire, or (iii) an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to these requirements, 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 issued and 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 valued for purposes of the 80% of fair market value 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.

 

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

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, (i) meetings with incumbent management and their advisors (if applicable); (ii) document reviews; (iii) interviews with various stakeholders, including, but not limited to, employees, customers and suppliers; (iv) on-site inspection of facilities; and (v) reviewing financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.

 

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

 

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 diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. 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 single product or limited number of products or services.

 

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team

 

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s 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. 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 a 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 such additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

 

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

 

We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.

 

Under the Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:

 

  · we issue Class A ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of Class A ordinary shares then issued and outstanding;

 

  · any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (as defined by Nasdaq 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 ordinary shares could result in an increase in issued and outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 5% or more; or

 

  · the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control.

 

Permitted Purchases of Our Securities

 

In the event we seek shareholder 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 shares or 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 or warrants such persons may purchase. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. Such persons 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. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) to clear all trades with our legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.

 

In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.

 

The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Such purchases could 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 ordinary shares 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, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against the business combination. Such persons would select the shareholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, directors, officers, or their respective affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.

 

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

 

Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination

 

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary 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 the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and 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 Chardan. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor, our directors, and our officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares 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. Chardan will have the same redemption rights as public shareholders with respect to any public shares it may hold, if any.

 

Manner of Conducting Redemptions

 

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder 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 ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq rules.

 

If shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:

 

  · 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.

 

We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our Nasdaq listing or Exchange Act registration.

 

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

 

If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting in favor of the business combination. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and their respective permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor, our directors, and our officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares 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. Chardan will have the same redemption rights as public stockholders with respect to any public shares it may hold, if any.

 

If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:

 

  · 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 our Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares that are not purchased by our sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.

 

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Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Shareholder Approval

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder 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 sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers and directors have, pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, waived their right to have any founder shares or public shares held by them redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. Unless any of our other affiliates acquires founder shares through a permitted transfer from our sponsor, officers and directors, and thereby becomes subject to the letter agreement, no such affiliate is subject to this waiver. However, to the extent any such affiliate acquires public shares in this offering or thereafter through open market purchases, it would be a public shareholder and restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to any Excess Shares.

 

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

 

We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the DWAC System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder 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 business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders 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.

 

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

 

Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the general 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 shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.

 

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

 

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Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we will have only 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 24-month period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 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 that shall be net of taxes payable (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands 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.

 

Our sponsor, our officers, and our 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 their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. Chardan has agreed to waive its rights to its deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering 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. However, if our sponsor, our officers, and our directors or Chardan acquire public shares 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.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 the other provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and 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 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). 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.

 

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 $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. 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, 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 shareholders 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 shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. 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.

 

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Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent auditors), 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 shareholders, 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. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 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 third parties we currently expect to engage would be vendors such as lawyers, investment bankers, computer or information and technical services providers or prospective target businesses. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. None of our other officers 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 in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per 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 auditors), 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 underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to $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. In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $500,000, we may fund such excess with funds from 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 $500,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.

 

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If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency laws, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders 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 shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above.

 

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

 

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, we will provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. Our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares 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. Chardan will have the same redemption rights as public stockholders with respect to any public shares it may hold, if any. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:

 

  · prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we shall either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a general meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to tender their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) in each case subject to the limitations described herein;

 

  · we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon such consummation and, solely if we seek shareholder approval, obtain an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting in favor of the business combination;

 

  · if our initial business combination is not consummated within 24 months from the closing of this offering, then our existence will terminate and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account; and

 

  · prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.

 

These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may consummate our initial business combination only if approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting in favor of the business combination.

 

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Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business Combination 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering.

 

    Redemptions in Connection
with our Initial Business
Combination
  Other Permitted Purchases
of Public Shares by our
Affiliates
  Redemptions if We Fail to
Complete an Initial Business
Combination
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 shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and 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 at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or 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 business combination.   If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisers, or any of their respective affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases 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. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions.   If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, 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 share), including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses, which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares.

 

Impact to remaining shareholders   The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to pay taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account).   If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will be no impact to our remaining shareholders 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 within 24 months from the closing of this offering, will reduce the book value per share for the shares, held by our initial shareholders, and each of their respective permitted transferees who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions.

 

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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 underwriters will not exercise their 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   The Nasdaq 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. $100,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.   Approximately $84,825,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.
         
Investment of net proceeds   $100,000,000 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 shareholders 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.
         
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business   Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% requirement. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% requirement even if our securities are not listed on the Nasdaq at the time of our initial business combination.   The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.

 

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    Terms of Our Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Trading of securities issued   The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus (or, if such date is not a business day, the following business day) unless Chardan 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. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.   No trading of the units or the underlying ordinary shares 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 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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    Terms of Our Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Election to remain an
investor
  We will provide our public shareholders 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 calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, which interest shall be net of taxes payable, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, 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. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, 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. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 10 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if obtain an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon and who vote at a general meeting in favor of the business combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.  

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 he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or 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 shareholder. 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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    Terms of Our Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Business combination
deadline
  If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 24 months 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 10 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 (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses)divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.   If an acquisition has not been completed within 24 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors.
         
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 taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend and restate our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (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 shareholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The Company will instruct the Trustee to pay amounts from the trust account directly to redeeming holders.   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.

 

Limitation on redemption
rights of shareholders
holding more than 15%
of the shares sold in this
offering if we hold a
shareholder vote
  If we seek shareholder 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder 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) without our prior consent. Our public shareholders’ 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 Excess Shares in open market transactions.   Most blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination.

 

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    Terms of Our Offering   Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
Tendering share
certificates in
connection with a
tender offer or
redemption rights
  We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates (if any) 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 scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the 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 shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights.   In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed 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 shareholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership.

 

Competition

 

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups, leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our issued and 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.

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Certain of our directors and officers have fiduciary or contractual duties to certain other companies in which they have invested or advised. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. None of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our management team, in their capacities as members, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law and any other applicable duties. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. For more information, see the section entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

 

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Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future any of our officers and directors may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, no director or officer shall be disqualified or prevented from contracting with the company nor shall any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the company in which any director shall have an interest be liable to be avoided. A director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of such interest shall be disclosed at or prior to its consideration or any vote thereon by the board of directors. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors would materially affect our ability to complete our business combination.

 

Members of our management team may directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering, and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. See “Risk Factors —Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.”

 

Indemnity

 

Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 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 third parties we currently expect to engage would be vendors such as lawyers, investment bankers, computer or information and technical services providers or prospective target businesses. Moreover, 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. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy their indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company; therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations.

 

Facilities

 

We currently maintain our executive offices at 2 Manhattanville Road, Suite 403, Purchase, NY 10577. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee we will pay to our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

Employees

 

As of the effective date of this prospectus, we will have three officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that our officers or any other members of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.

 

Periodic Reporting and Financial Information

 

We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares 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 auditors.

 

We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, U.S. GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the PCAOB standards. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. 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, 2022, 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, we will be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second quarter, 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 promulgated by the SEC. 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

 

Legal Proceedings

 

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, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

Directors, Director Nominees, and Officers

 

Name   Age   Titles
Paul Norman   56   President
Jonah Raskas   35   Co-Chief Executive Officer and Director
Mark Grundman   36   Co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Director
Deborah Weinswig   50   Director Nominee
M. Carl Johnson, III   72   Director Nominee
Gary Tickle   55   Director Nominee
Deb Benovitz   56   Director Nominee
Jason Reiser   52   Director Nominee

 

Paul Norman has served as our President since February 2021. Mr. Norman is a global consumer products leader with over 30 years of experience creating brand and shareholder value. He currently serves on the boards of directors of Hearthside Food Solutions, a contract food manufacturer, Jones Soda Company (OTC:JSDA), a beverage company, and PureK Holdings (TSX-V: PKAN), a CBD retail products company. From 2019 to 2020, he served as chairman and CEO of HeavenlyRx, a privately held CBD wellness company. Prior to HeavenlyRx, Mr. Norman spent three decades at Kellogg, the $11 billion multinational food-manufacturing company, where his tenure was defined by transformation, profitable growth and shareholder value creation through strategic portfolio management, innovation and diverse talent development and leadership. He has deep experience in building brands while successfully navigating complex regulatory environments where challenges around marketing and nutrition/ ingredient labeling restrictions are constantly evolving. As president of Kellogg’s $9 billion North American business from 2015 to 2018, Mr. Norman led initiatives such as the exit of Direct Store Delivery, which transformed US Snacks to a warehouse pull model. He was instrumental in accelerating mergers and acquisitions activity at Kellogg, including Kellogg’s acquisition of RX bar in 2017 for $600 million. In his role, Mr. Norman interacted regularly with the Kellogg board of directors, attending all board meetings and collaborating closely with several sub-committees. He also participated in analyst and investor calls for the company. Prior to serving as president of Kellogg’s North American business in 2015, Mr. Norman served as the company’s chief growth officer from 2013 to 2015, where he developed the Kellogg global category operating model. In that role he focused on long-term innovation, building sales and marketing capability, and long-term strategy for the company’s breakfast and snacks categories. Concurrent with the chief growth officer role, Mr. Norman served as interim president of the U.S. Morning Foods business, which generated approximately $3 billion in revenues. In 2008, he was promoted to president of Kellogg International, where he built a team and platform to support international growth, a key pillar of the company’s growth plan. As part of that team, Mr. Norman helped to facilitate the acquisition of Pringles® in 2012, which was key to the company’s plans for global expansion and growth. In 2012, he led the integration of Pringles® and the restructuring of Kellogg’s European business to implement the new “Wired to Win” operating model, which resulted in significantly improved European top and bottom line performance. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Norman led U.S. Morning Foods, which included cereal, PopTarts®, the Kashi Company, and the frozen foods division, to five years of sequential profitable sales and share growth. He was named managing director of Kellogg’s U.K./ Republic of Ireland business in 2002, where he successfully led a turnaround in sales performance and helped to grow the company’s cereal market share for the first time in 11 years. In 2000, Mr. Norman became president of Kellogg Canada Inc. and from 1989 to 2000, he held progressively more senior marketing roles at U.S. Morning Foods across France, Canada, Latin America and the U.S. In addition to his time at Kellogg, from 2016 to 2018 Mr. Norman served as a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association board of directors, where he served on the executive committee. He also served as a Trustee of the Food Marketing Institute Foundation board, from 2016 to 2018. Mr. Norman received a bachelor’s degree with honors in French from Portsmouth Polytechnic.

 

Jonah Raskas has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since January 2021. Since 2016, Mr. Raskas has worked in the consumer industry, as brand manager at GlaxoSmithKline plc, or GSK, and has led several business lines for the company. All business lines he has led sell millions of products on an annual basis. At GSK, Mr. Raskas has focused on digital, e-commerce, innovation profit and loss management, and overall strategy. Most recently, he led all e-commerce and digital for the first prescription to over-the-counter in the pain category in more than 20 years. There are, on average, only one to two prescription switches annually in the consumer industry and Mr. Raskas led one of them in 2020. He is also part of the US Consumer Healthcare Emerging Leaders Program at GSK. From 2008 to 2010, he was an investment banker at Rodman and Renshaw, a mid-tier investment bank. Mr. Raskas was primarily focused on initial public offerings and secondary offerings, giving him capital market and public market exposure. Mr. Raskas started his career in 2007 working in the White House in the Speechwriting Office for President George W. Bush. There, he focused on market research and reviewing speeches that were written for President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. He will leverage his extensive network within the capital markets and consumer industry in order to identify ideal targets for acquisition business combination. Mr. Raskas also graduated summa cum laude with a MBA from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University with a focus on Accounting and Marketing. We believe Mr. Raskas to be qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive network of contacts, experience in the consumer industry, and finance background.

 

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Mark Grundman has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors since January 2021 and our Chief Financial Officer since February 2021. Mr. Grundman brings direct experience within a range of businesses, such as helipads, chemical plants, packaged consumer goods, and janitorial services. In early 2020, he established his own firm, MJG Partners, LLC, which focuses on small business investing and investment advising. From 2018 to 2019, he served as president of VPG International, LLC, a newly-acquired framed art business within a portfolio of investor-owned companies. From 2006 to 2016, Mr. Grundman worked at GAMCO Investors, Inc. (NYSE: GBL), a leading institutional asset management firm. From 2013 to 2014, he took a leave of absence to attended Columbia Business School, where he received his MBA. After graduating from Columbia, he rejoined the company to focus on building out a sell-side special situations department. During his tenure at GAMCO, Mr. Grundman held various roles including trading desk analyst, focusing on special situation investing, including merger arbitrage, spinoffs, special purpose acquisition companies, liquidations, and other arbitrage opportunities, ultimately reporting directly to Mario Gabelli, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of GAMCO. In addition to his investing focus, Mr. Grundman was responsible for presenting and reviewing the portfolio strategy and performance to the board of directors and major investors of GAMCO’s publicly traded mutual funds as well as the separately managed accounts and sub accounts of the firm. Mr. Grundman brings a unique and valuable perspective to our strategic approach, in terms of public market reception, operational excellence, and sustainability. We believe Mr. Grundman to be qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive network of contacts as well as his operational and finance experience.

 

M. Carl Johnson, III, will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Johnson is currently Chairman of the Board of Nautilus, Inc. (NYSE:NLS), a fitness solutions company, and has served in this capacity since 2010. He also served as interim chief executive officer of Nautilus from March 2019  through July 2019. From 2011 to 2015, he served as group executive vice president/brands and chief growth officer of Del Monte Foods (2011-2014) and chief growth officer and executive vice president, marketing, for Big Heart Pet Brands, the successor company to Del Monte Foods (2014- 2015), and senior advisor, J. M. Smucker Co., following its acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands (2015). From 2001 to 2011, Mr. Johnson served as senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Campbell Soup Company.  From 1992-2001, he served in various roles at Kraft Food Group, Inc.:  Vice President, Strategy, Kraft USA (1992-93); EVP & General Manager, Specialty Products Division, Kraft USA (1993-94); EVP & General Manager, Meals Division, Kraft Foods, N.A.; EVP & President, New Meals Division, Kraft Foods, N.A. (1997-2001).  Prior to that, Mr. Johnson held roles at Marketing Corp. of America, Polaroid Corp., and Colgate-Palmolive. Mr. Johnson, brings a broad set of skills to our board of directors, which he developed through helping lead, iconic American companies such as Campbell Soup Company, Kraft, Polaroid, Colgate-Palmolive, managing multi-billion dollar businesses, and serving on c-suite leadership teams. We believe Mr. Johnson to be qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive leadership experiences within the consumer industry.

 

Gary Tickle will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Tickle is an industry leader with 30 years of global experience successfully driving growth and transformation in consumer packaged goods, or CPG, businesses. He held leadership roles across various functions including supply chain, manufacturing, finance, sales and marketing. Mr. Tickle has had twenty years of c-suite responsibility, including turnaround assignments, innovation and global strategy development, particularly focused on nutrition, health and wellness. His broad category experience includes coffee, confectionery, snacks, dairy, infant nutrition, milk modifiers, cereals, foodservice, personal care, tea, soups and cooking aids. From 2019 to 2020, Mr. Tickle served as chief executive officer at Shiftlineup, a software as a service human capital management company. From 2016 to 2019 Mr. Tickle was the chief executive officer of Hain Celestial North America, a NASDAQ-listed natural and organic food company. Prior to that, he had an extensive international career with Nestle spanning over 25 years, starting in 1987. Mr. Tickle was the global strategic business unit head of infant nutrition where led the successful global acquisition and integration of Wyeth Nutrition, before coming to the United States to serve as president and chief executive officer of Nestle Nutrition North America. Mr. Tickle was also regional business head of South Asia, based in New Delhi, India, and chief executive officer of Nestle New Zealand for five years. He has held a number of industry leadership roles, including chairman of the infant Nutrition Council of America and vice chairman of the Food and Grocery Council in New Zealand. He also served as a Board Member of Buckley Country Day School in New York and today is an external advisor on the AT Kearney Consumer Industries and Retail Panel. Mr. Tickle also serves as a mentor on the Denver Small Business Development Council. Mr. Tickle holds an MBA with Distinction from Deakin University in Australia, a Bachelor of Business in Operations Management/Human Resource Management and Post Graduate Degree in Finance. We believe that Mr. Tickle is qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive experience as a c-suite executive in multiple consumer packaged goods businesses.

 

Deb Benovitz will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Ms. Benovitz has more than 30 years of consumer experience in leading consumer-focused companies. Her particular area of expertise is in brand transformation. She has played a key role in the transformation of major brands such as LEGO, Dove (via the Campaign for Real Beauty) and Pepsi. Ms. Benovitz currently serves as senior vice president, global marketing/competitive intelligence and human truths for WW (formerly Weight Watchers), a position she has held since September 2014. She sits on the executive committee at WW, reporting to the chief executive officer. In her role, she delivers strategic consumer insights to drive business growth, manages the global consumer insights department, and spearheads WW’s goal of democratizing wellness and making it accessible to all. In addition, Ms. Benovitz is responsible for ensuring that all innovation, brand, science and tech design work, begins with a consumer need, and stays true to the consumer throughout the process. She led WW’s wellness agenda and was part of a small team that crafted the company’s wellness vision and mission. From 2009 to 2014, she was vice president of global consumer insights at PepsiCo, where she led their cutting-edge, future-focused insights department serving 30 markets around the world. Ms. Benovitz has extensive experience in brand, consumer, competitive intelligence, shopper and tech user experience research among adults and children, including innovation, trend tracking, new product and concept research, advertising assessment, segmentation research, brand equity and tracking research, usage and attitude work, needs identification, consumer journey mapping, creative insight generation, and analytics. Ms. Benovitz holds a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. We believe that Ms. Benovitz is qualified to serve as a director because of her significant leadership experiences across several Fortune 100 consumer packaged goods companies and her extensive knowledge with respect to the health and wellness sector.

 

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Jason Reiser will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Mr. Reiser has over 35 years of retail and healthcare experience, spanning operations, government relations, compliance, merchandizing, global sourcing, and digital tools across multiple retail channels including mass (Wal-Mart), value (Family Dollar and Dollar General), and specialty (Vitamin Shoppe). From 2017 to 2020, he served as the executive vice president, chief merchandising officer for Dollar General with responsibility for merchandising, marketing, digital tools, sourcing and in-store experience. From 2016 to 2017, Mr. Reiser served as the chief operating officer of the Vitamin Shoppe with responsibilities for merchandising, supply chain, operations, marketing, digital and real estate. Prior to that he served as chief merchandising officer for Family Dollar from 2013 to 2016, with responsibility for merchandising, marketing, digital, sourcing and merchandising operations. Additionally, he also served as a board member for privately-held Slim Fast from 2014 to 2016. Mr. Reiser began his retail career working as a teenager in his family owned pharmacy, which led him to become a Registered Pharmacist, graduating from Northeastern University in 1993 with a B.S. in Pharmacy. We believe that Mr. Reiser is qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive retail industry experiences and his experiences within the health and wellness sector and healthcare experience.

 

Deborah Weinswig will serve as a member of our board of directors upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Since February 2018, Ms. Weinswig has served as the chief executive officer and founder of Coresight Research, or Coresight, an international research and advisory firm that focuses on the intersection of retail and technology. Coresight’s areas of expertise include global cross-border ecommerce, startup innovation, emerging markets, digital transformation, and all things consumer. In addition, since October 2018, she has served on the board of directors for Guess?, Inc. (NYSE:GES), Kiabi, and Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELB). From 2014 to early 2018, Ms. Weinswig served as the founding Managing Director of Fung Global Retail and Technology, the research arm and Think Tank for The Fung Group, a leading trading and supply chain management company based in Hong Kong. In this role, she helped identify early-stage companies to partner with The Fung Group, played a key role in opening The Explorium Innovation Lab, an innovation hub focused on the global supply chain, and helped build an entire research platform from production to publication. Ms. Weinswig’s deep understanding of global retail and emerging technology trends was developed through her extensive banking career, which included 12 years as head of the global staples and consumer discretionary team at Citi Research, as well as senior research positions at Bear Stearns and Morgan Stanley. She sits on the boards of directors for philanthropic organizations including Goodwill Industries New York/New Jersey, and in 2020 she founded RetailersUnited, a nonprofit dedicated to small- to mid-size enterprise retailers and fashion brands impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. Ms. Weinswig is a certified public accountant and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. We believe that Ms. Weinswig is qualified to serve as a director because of her extensive retail and technology background and her experience as a director of public companies.

 

Number, Terms of Office and Appointment of Officers and Directors

 

Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our board of directors will consist of eight members. Holders of our founder shares will have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by at least 90% of our founder shares voting in a general meeting. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a 3-year term. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the shareholders, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board or by a majority of the holders of our founder shares.

 

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our officers may consist of a Chairman, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.

 

Director Independence

 

Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. 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. Our board of directors has determined that each of Ms. Benovitz, Messrs. Johnson, Reiser, and Tickle, and Ms. Weinswig, are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our audit committee will be entirely composed of independent directors meeting Nasdaq’s additional requirements applicable to members of the audit committee. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Officer and Director Compensation

 

None of our officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any bona-fide, documented 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. In addition, we will reimburse our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to us in the amount of $10,000 per month, until the consummation of our initial business combination. Our audit committee will also review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisers, or any of their respective affiliates.

 

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After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time such materials are distributed, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent 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 the initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’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

 

Pursuant to Nasdaq rules, our board of directors will have two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.

 

Audit Committee

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Messrs. Johnson and Reiser and Ms. Weinswig will serve as members of our audit committee. Mr. Johnson will serve as the chairman of the audit committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least three members of the audit committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Each such person meets the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards and under Rule 10-A-3(b)(1) of the Exchange Act.

 

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

 

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

 

  · Assisting board oversight of (i) the integrity of our financial statements, (ii) our compliance with leg and regulatory requirements, (iii) our independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (iv) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors;

 

  · the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;

 

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

 

  · reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;

 

  · setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors;

 

  · 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 auditors describing (i) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (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;

 

  · Meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, 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 auditors, 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.

 

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Compensation Committee

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Ms. Benovitz and Mr. Tickle and will serve as members of our compensation committee. Mr. Tickle will serve as the chairman of the compensation committee. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, we are required to have at least two members of the compensation committee, all of whom must be independent, subject to certain phase-in provisions. Each such person meets the independent director standard under Nasdaq listing standards applicable to members of the compensation committee.

 

We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the purpose and 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 to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers;

 

  · reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than reimbursement of expenses and as set forth below, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to complete the consummation of a business combination although we may consider cash or other compensation to officers or advisors we may hire subsequent to this offering to be paid either prior to or in connection with our 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.

 

The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent 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 Nasdaq and the SEC.

 

Director Nominations

 

We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Ms. Benovitz, Messrs. Reiser and Tickle, and Ms. Weinswig. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.

 

Prior to our initial business combination, the board of directors will also consider director candidates recommended for nomination by holders of our founder shares during such times as they are seeking proposed nominees to stand for election at an annual general meeting (or, if applicable, an extraordinary general meeting). Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board.

 

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 shareholders.

 

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Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

 

None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, (i) as a member of the compensation committee or board of directors of another entity, one of whose executive officers serves on our compensation committee, or (ii) as a member of the compensation committee of another entity, one of whose executive officers serves on our board of directors.

 

Code of Ethics

 

Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will adopt a code of ethics and business conduct, which we refer to as the Code of Ethics, applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our form of Code of Ethics and our audit committee charter as exhibits to the registration statement. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of 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 Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. See “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”

 

Conflicts of Interest

 

Under Cayman Islands law, officers and directors owe fiduciary duties to the company, including the following:

 

  · duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;

 

  · duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;

 

  · duty to not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;

 

  · duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and

 

  · duty to exercise independent judgment.

 

In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care and skill, which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill, and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience which that director has.

 

As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position at the expense of the company. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.

 

Certain of our directors and officers have fiduciary or contractual duties to certain other companies in which they have invested or advised. These entities may compete with us for acquisition opportunities. If these entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. None of the members of our management team who are also employed by our sponsor or its affiliates have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our management team, in their capacities as members, officers or employees of our sponsor or its affiliates or in their other endeavors, may choose to present potential business combinations to the related entities described above, current or future entities affiliated with or managed by our sponsor, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law and any other applicable duties.

 

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and in the future any of our officers and directors may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present acquisition opportunities to such entity. Accordingly, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an acquisition opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will need to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such acquisition opportunity to such entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. 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. Subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, no director or officer shall be disqualified or prevented from contracting with the company nor shall any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the company in which any director shall have an interest be liable to be avoided. A director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of such interest shall be disclosed at or prior to its consideration or any vote thereon by the board of directors. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors would materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.

 

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Our officers and directors are not prohibited from becoming either a director or officer of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act.

 

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.

 

  · In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities that may be appropriate for presentation to 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. For a complete description of our management’s other affiliations, see “Management — Directors, Director Nominees, and Officers.”

 

  ·

Our initial shareholders, directly or indirectly, hold their respective founder shares and may acquire public shares during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering. 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. All of the founder shares issued and outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (1) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or the date on which the closing price of our common stock exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination, and (2) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier if approved by the shareholders of the Company, and in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 375,000 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for forfeiture and cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

 

During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and stockholders) participating in the private placement of the private placement warrants, officers, directors, stockholders, employees and members of our co-sponsors and their affiliates, (2) amongst initial stockholders or to our officers, directors and employees, (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased or (9) for the cancellation of up to 375,000  shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 9 or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and the insider letter, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate the trust account, none of our initial stockholders will receive any portion of the liquidation proceeds with respect to their founder shares.

 

  · With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants (and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon their exercise) will not be transferable, assignable or salable by the initial purchasers or their 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 ordinary shares 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 was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

 

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  · 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 any of our officers or directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended business combination. Such loans could be convertible into warrants, which would be identical to the private placement a warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

 

  ·

Jason Reiser, our director nominee, is party to an employment agreement with Dollar General, which contains confidentiality, non-competition, and non-solicitation provisions. Until 2023, Mr. Reiser generally will be restricted from engaging as an employee, consultant, advisor, director, agent, promoter or independent contractor in any business involving discount consumable basics or any other business in which Dollar General is engaged in the states in the United States in which Dollar General or its subsidiary maintains stores as of the date of Mr. Reiser’s termination of employment at Dollar General, or in any other state in the United States in which Dollar General or its subsidiary has specific and demonstrable plans to open stores within six (6) months the date of Mr. Reiser’s termination of employment at Dollar General. Mr. Reiser’s employment agreement expires in 2023.

 

In light of this employment agreement, we will not seek an initial business combination with any company operating in the businesses described above. This employment agreement could make us a less attractive buyer to certain targets. In addition, if our initial business combination does not cause Mr. Reiser to violate the non-competition agreements, no assurance can be given that the combined company would not in the future engage in competitive activities which would cause Mr. Reiser to be in breach of the employment agreement. If a court were to conclude that a violation of the employment agreement had occurred, it could extend the term of Mr. Reiser’s non-competition restrictions and/or enjoin Mr. Reiser from participating in our company, or enjoin us from engaging in aspects of the business which compete with Dollar General, as applicable. The court could also impose monetary damages against Mr. Reiser or us. This could materially harm our business and the trading prices of our securities.

 

Even if ultimately resolved in our favor, any litigation associated with Mr. Reiser’s non-competition agreement could be time consuming, costly and distract management’s focus from locating suitable acquisition candidates and operating our business.

  

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

 

Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:

 

Individual(1)   Entity   Entity’s Business   Affiliation/Title
Paul Norman   Hearthside Food Solutions   Contract Food Manufacturer   Director
    Jones Soda Company   Beverages   Director
    PureK Holdings Corp.   CBD Retail Products   Director
Jonah Raskas   GlaxoSmithKline plc   Pharmaceuticals   Brand Manager
Mark Grundman   MJG Partners LLC   Investments   Founder and Managing Member
Deborah Weinswig   Coresight Research, Inc.   Research and Advisory Firm  

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Director

  Guess?, Inc.   Retail/Fashion   Director
  Kiabi Europe SAS   Retail/Consumer Discretionary   Director
  Xcel Brands, Inc.   Media and Consumer Products   Director
M. Carl Johnson, III   Nautilus, Inc.   Fitness Solutions   Director
Deb Benovitz   WW International, Inc.   Weight-management solutions   Senior Vice President
Jason Reiser   Dollar General Corporation   Discount Retailer   Former Executive Vice President,
Chief Merchandising Officer

 

  (1) Each of the entities listed in this table has priority and preference relative to our company with respect to the performance by each individual listed in this table of his obligations and the presentation by each such individual of business opportunities.

 

Accordingly, if any of the above officers or directors become aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the above entities 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 entity, and only present it to us if such entity rejects the opportunity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. We do not currently believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

Furthermore, if Mr. Reiser becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is subject to the non-competition agreement with Dollar General, Messrs. Reiser will honor their contractual obligations and not present such opportunity to us. See “Risk Factors — Our director nominee, Jason Reiser, is party to an agreement that will limit the types of companies that we can target for an initial business combination, among other restrictions, which could limit our prospects for an initial business combination or make us a less attractive buyer to certain target companies.” We do not believe, however, that any of the foregoing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations will materially affect our ability to complete our business combination.

 

In addition, commencing on the date our securities are first listed on the Nasdaq, we will also reimburse our sponsor for office space, secretarial, and administrative services provided to us in the amount of $10,000 per month. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors, advisers, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with such a company, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm that commonly renders valuation opinions for the type of company we are seeking to acquire or an independent accounting firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

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In addition, our sponsor or any of its affiliates may make additional investments in the company in connection with the initial business combination, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or current intention to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial business combination.

 

In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any founder shares held by them (and their permitted transferees will agree) and any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination.

 

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors

 

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud or willful default. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We may 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 officers and directors. We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.

 

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

 

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our ordinary shares 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 issued and outstanding ordinary shares;

 

  · each of our officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially own ordinary shares; and

 

  · all our officers, directors and director nominees 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 ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants held by our sponsor and Chardan, as those warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus. The following table presents the number of shares and percentage of our ordinary shares owned by our sponsor, our officers, and our directors, before and after this offering. The post-offering numbers and percentages assume that (i) Chardan does not exercise its over-allotment option, (ii) our sponsor forfeits 375,000 founder shares so there are only 2,500,000 issued and outstanding founder shares, and (iii) there are 12,500,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering, consisting of: (a) 2,500,000 founder shares and (b) 10,000,000 shares of our Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering.

 

    Before Offering     After Offering  
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)   Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
    Approximate
Percentage of
Issued and
Outstanding
Ordinary Shares
    Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(3)
    Approximate
Percentage of
Issued and
Outstanding
Ordinary Shares
 
CHW Acquisition Sponsor LLC(4)     2,875,000       100.0       2,500,000       20.0  
Deb Benovitz                      
Mark Grundman(4)     2,875,000       100.0 %     2,500,000       20.0 %
M. Carl Johnson, III                        
Paul Norman                        
Jonah Raskas(4)     2,875,000       100.0 %     2,500,000       20.0 %
Jason Reiser                        
Gary Tickle                        
Deborah Weinswig                        
All officers, directors and director nominees as a group
(8 individuals)
    2,875,000       100.0 %     2,500,000       20.0 %

 

*   Less than one percent.
     
  (1)

Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is 2 Manhattanville Road, Suite 403 Purchase, NY 10577.

     
  (2) Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares, of which up to 375,000 shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. Such shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities”.
     
  (3) Interests shown consist of founders shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares, described in the previous footnote.
     
  (4) With respect to before the offering, our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. MJG Partners LLC, a New Jersey limited liability company (“MJG”), and SNR Products LLC, a California limited liability company (“SNR”), are the managing members of our sponsor. Mr. Grundman is the manager of MJG. Mr. Raskas is the sole member of SNR. As such, each of Messrs. Grundman and Raskas has voting and investment discretion with respect to the founder shares held of record by our sponsor and may be deemed to have shared beneficial ownership of the founder shares held directly by our sponsor. Each of Messrs. Grundman and Raskas disclaims beneficial ownership of any shares other than to the extent he may have a pecuniary interest therein, directly or indirectly.

 

Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders will beneficially own approximately 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any units in this offering. Additionally, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Furthermore, because of their ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism as applicable with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.

 

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In addition, our sponsor and Chardan have committed to purchase an aggregate of 3,750,000 (or up to 4,087,500, depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($3,750,000 (or up to $4,087,500 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) in the aggregate) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Each whole private placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account pending our completion of our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, 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.

 

The private placement warrants (and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon their exercise) are subject to the transfer restrictions described below. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants underlying the units being sold in this offering. Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the public warrants being sold in this offering.

 

Our sponsor and our officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.

 

Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants

 

The founder shares, the private placement warrants, and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion of the founder shares or exercise of the private placement warrants are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our initial shareholders. Those lock-up provisions provide that the founder shares will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (A) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or the date on which the closing price of our common stock exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after our initial business combination, and (B) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, six months after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or earlier if approved by the shareholders of the Company, and in either case, if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except (1) to any persons (including their affiliates and stockholders) participating in the private placement of the private warrants, officers, directors, stockholders, employees and members of our co-sponsors and their affiliates, (2) amongst initial stockholders or to our officers, directors and employees, (3) if a holder is an entity, as a distribution to its, partners, stockholders or members upon its liquidation, (4) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a holder or a member of a holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (5) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (6) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (7) by certain pledges to secure obligations incurred in connection with purchases of our securities, (8) by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased or (9) for the cancellation of up to 375,000 shares of common stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, in each case (except for clause 9 or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and the insider letter, but will retain all other rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate the trust account, none of our initial stockholders will receive any portion of the liquidation proceeds with respect to their founder shares.

 

In addition, the lock up provisions of the letter agreement provide that in the case of the private placement warrants (and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon their exercise), that such securities are not transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case, (a) to our officers or directors or those of Chardan, any affiliates or family members of our officers or directors or those of Chardan, any members of our sponsor or Chardan, or any affiliates of our sponsor or Chardan, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual̵