S-1/A 1 fs12021a4_schultzespecial2.htm REGISTRATION STATEMENT

As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 14, 2021.

Registration No. 333-254018

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

___________________

AMENDMENT NO. 4 TO
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

___________________

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

___________________

Delaware

 

6770

 

86-1206818

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

800 Westchester Avenue, Suite S-632
Rye Brook, NY 10573
(914) 701-5260

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

___________________

George J. Schultze, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II
800 Westchester Avenue, Suite S-632
Rye Brook, NY 10573
(914) 701-5260

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

___________________

Copies to:

Alan I. Annex, Esq.
Jason T. Simon, Esq.
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
1750 Tysons Boulevard
Suite 1000
McLean, VA 22102
(703) 749
-1300

 

Jonathan Ko, Esq.
Paul Hastings LLP
515 South Flower Street, 25
th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 683
-6188

___________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Large accelerated filer

 

 

Accelerated filer

 

   

Non-accelerated filer

 

 

Smaller reporting company

 

           

Emerging growth company

 

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

 

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CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of each Class of Security being registered

 

Amount being
Registered

 

Proposed
Maximum
Offering Price
Per Security
(1)

 

Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price
(1)

 

Amount of
Registration
Fee

Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one-third of one redeemable warrant(2)

 

23,000,000 Units

 

$

10.00

 

$

230,000,000

 

$

25,093.00

 

Shares of Class A common stock included as part of the units(3)

 

23,000,000 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4)

Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3)

 

7,666,666 Warrants

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4)

Total

     

 

   

$

230,000,000

 

$

25,093.00

(5)

____________

(1)      Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.

(2)      Includes 3,000,000 units, consisting of 3,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and 1,000,000 warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in such units, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45 day option granted to the underwriters to cover over allotments, if any.

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

(4)      Pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act, no additional fee.

(5)      Previously paid.

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

 

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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 prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state or jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 14, 2021

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

$200,000,000

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

20,000,000 Units

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to initially focus our search on identifying a prospective target business that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, is financially stressed or has experienced and emerged from a financial restructuring. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction.

If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and as further described herein.

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit that we are offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Each whole warrant will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of an initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering and will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. We have granted to the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “sponsor,” and Stifel Venture Corp. (an affiliate of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, one of the representatives of the underwriters of this offering), which we refer to throughout this prospectus as “Stifel Venture,” have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 4,400,000 warrants, or “private placement warrants,” at $1.50 per warrant (for a total purchase price of $6,600,000) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Our sponsor and Stifel Venture have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, they will purchase from us up to an aggregate of 400,000 additional private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant. These additional private placement warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus.

Our initial stockholders, which include our sponsor and Stifel Venture, own an aggregate of 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock (up to 750,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only holders of shares of our Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination. On all other matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of shares of our Class B common stock and holders of shares of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share of common stock entitling the holder to one vote, except as required by law.

There is presently no public market for our units, shares of Class A common stock or warrants. We have applied to list our units on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “SAMAU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the shares of Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and Mizuho Securities USA LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin; provided that no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the shares of Class A common stock and warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “SAMA” and “SAMAW,” respectively.

We are an “emerging growth company” and “smaller reporting company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 25 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.

Neither the 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.

 

Per Unit

 

Total

Public offering price

 

$

10.00

 

$

200,000,000

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)

 

$

0.55

 

$

11,000,000

Proceeds, before expenses, to Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

 

$

9.45

 

$

189,000,000

__________________________

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

Upon consummation of the offering, an aggregate of $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) or $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our redemption of our public shares.

The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to purchasers on or about         , 2021.

Book-Running Managers

Stifel

 

Mizuho Securities

          , 2021

 

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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

Prospectus Summary

 

1

Summary Financial Data

 

24

Risk Factors

 

25

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

 

50

Use of Proceeds

 

51

Dividend Policy

 

54

Dilution

 

55

Capitalization

 

57

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

 

58

Proposed Business

 

62

Management

 

86

Principal Stockholders

 

94

Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions

 

97

Description of Securities

 

100

Shares Eligible for Future Sale

 

111

Material U.S. Federal Tax Considerations

 

113

Underwriting

 

120

Legal Matters

 

128

Experts

 

128

Where You Can Find Additional Information

 

128

Index to Financial Statements

 

F-1

i

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. References in this prospectus to “we,” “us,” “our” or “our company” refer to Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II. References in this prospectus to our “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and references to “public stockholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor (as defined below), officers and directors to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that their status as “public stockholders” shall only exist with respect to such public shares. References in this prospectus to our “management” or our “management team” refer to our officers and directors, references to our “directors” are to our current directors and our director nominees named in this prospectus, references to our “founder shares” are to our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issued prior to this offering, and the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of Class A common stock will not be “public shares”), references to our “initial stockholders” are to the holders of our founder shares and references to our “sponsor” refer to Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC, a company affiliated with our officers and directors. References in this prospectus to our “common stock” refer to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively. References in this prospectus to “public warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market), and references in this prospectus to our “private placement warrants” refer to the warrants we are selling in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering. References in this prospectus to “Stifel” and “Mizuho” are to Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and Mizuho Securities USA LLC, respectively, the representatives of the underwriters of this offering. References to “Stifel Venture” are to Stifel Venture Corp., an affiliate of Stifel. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities issued in a transaction, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt, that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of common stock. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.

General

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on December 15, 2020 for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. While our efforts in identifying a prospective target business for our initial business combination will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, we intend to initially focus our search on companies that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, are financially stressed or have experienced and emerged from a financial restructuring, as described below. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction.

Business Strategy

Our sponsor is an affiliate of Schultze Asset Management, LP, an alternative investment management firm founded in 1998 that primarily focuses on distressed, special situation and event-driven securities. Schultze Asset Management’s investment objective is to achieve exceptional risk-adjusted capital appreciation through investments in various securities of companies in financial and/or legal distress or which have recently emerged from financial reorganizations or lawsuits. Since inception, the firm has invested over $3.2 billion in investments across numerous market cycles. At the core of the firm’s strategy is deep-rooted, credit- and equity-based fundamental analysis, leveraging the team’s distressed, legal, bankruptcy and financial expertise. Schultze Asset Management believes that distressed securities can often be purchased at discounts to intrinsic value given the complexities surrounding their restructuring. The firm complements its liquid investment strategy with illiquid investments where it has taken an active approach to managing such investments often through participation on credit committees, liquidating trusts and board positions. The firm has successfully deployed its

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active investment strategy in 12 companies involving approximately $475.0 million of invested capital, with 11 of such investments monetized to date. Said investments have generated $748 million of realized and unrealized gains, including $715 million realized as of March 31, 2021, representing an internal rate of return (“IRR”) of 26.6%.(1)

Schultze Asset Management and members of our management team have significant experience in identifying, investing in and operating businesses that are experiencing some level of financial distress or have successfully emerged from a financial re-organization. As a result of the success with Schultze Special Acquisition Corp. (“Schultze I”), a special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”) which completed its initial public offering in December 2018 and consummated a business combination with Clever Leaves Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: CLVR) (“Clever Leaves”) in December 2020, our management team has significantly expanded its capability to focus on investment opportunities in select industries where it has significant background and expertise. Such industries include but are not exclusive to aerospace & defense, communications infrastructure, consumer/food & beverage, healthcare, industrial growth, media & entertainment and technology. We believe our affiliation with Schultze Asset Management and the significant financial and operational expertise of our team, which includes our strategic advisors noted under “Proposed Business — Competitive Strengths — Our Strategic Advisors” and referred to throughout this prospectus as our “Strategic Advisors”, provide us with important competitive advantages for sourcing, pursuing and evaluating an initial business combination within our target universe and creating value following such combination. We also believe one of our underwriters, Stifel, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Miller Buckfire, a leading investment bank focused on providing strategic and financial advisory services in financial restructurings, recapitalizations and other complex situations, will be of tremendous assistance in helping us identify and evaluate potential business combination candidates.

We intend to focus on pursuing business combinations with target companies that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, are financially stressed or have completed and emerged from a financial restructuring. U.S. default activity picked up significantly in 2020, with defaults surging to the second highest annual total on record, second only to 2009, with the COVID-19 pandemic being a significant driver. According to J.P. Morgan, 88 companies defaulted in 2020 comprising $129.6 billion in bonds and loans with an additional 21 companies completing distressed transactions totaling $11.8 billion. Further, debt downgrades exceeded all prior records with 640 companies being downgraded (vs. 185 companies being upgraded) totaling $549.6 billion. Owners of post-restructuring companies typically benefit from a significant reduction in liabilities including lower financial indebtedness, employee benefit obligations, litigation liabilities, contractual commitments and a generally lower operating cost structure. Such target companies often have underexploited opportunities for continued growth as a result of prior under-investment. Further, management teams often exit restructurings with increased financial and operating discipline and with meaningful equity ownership. Given the inefficiencies that may exist in the post-reorganization market, we believe a business combination within our target universe can be completed at a discount to its intrinsic value and publicly-traded peers. Whether or not we transact with a company that is experiencing liquidity constraints, is financially stressed or has previously gone through a restructuring, we expect to transact in an industry which overlaps within our core competencies and in-depth experience while also satisfying our investment criteria.

We believe a business combination through a blank check company provides meaningful benefits to owners of liquidity constrained, financially stressed or post-reorganization companies, with whom we will seek to transact with, and our investors. In the case of post-reorganization companies, owners are often former creditors, including banks, who are not natural owners of equity securities. We believe a business combination with us may provide a significant monetization event for owners desiring liquidity as well as continued equity participation for those desiring continued ownership. Further, target companies can benefit from access to a public vehicle to support organic and inorganic growth initiatives by combining with us. Our investors can benefit from ownership in a business with significantly reduced liabilities, an enhanced operating structure and a highly motivated management team.

Following our initial business combination, we, including our Strategic Advisors, intend to assist the target company in creating shareholder value which may include through board and/or senior management representation. In the case of Clever Leaves, our Executive Vice President and director nominee, Gary M. Julien, is one of five directors of the company. As a result of our team’s experience, we believe we can add value post-transaction to ensure proper corporate governance and alignment of management incentives, develop an operational and financial strategy to pursue continued organic and inorganic growth initiatives and to assist with capital raising and capital structure optimization.

____________

(1)      Includes only those investments where Schultze Asset Management was or is “Actively Involved”, invested long, and invested over $10 million. Does not include short sold companies, exchange traded funds (“ETFs”), companies in the retail sector, leverage or margin borrowings, management and incentive fees, professional fees, and other trading expenses. Such Actively Involved investments reflect a period of performance from 2003 through March 31, 2021.

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The past performance of Schultze Asset Management, our management team or our Strategic Advisors, or any of their affiliates, is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of Schultze Asset Management, our management team or our Strategic Advisors, or any of their affiliates, as indicative of our future performance.

Our Sponsor Partner

Stifel Financial Corp. (“SF”) (NYSE: SF) is a financial services holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, that conducts its banking, securities, and financial services business through several wholly owned subsidiaries. Through Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”), its subsidiary, the firm executed over $200.0 billion in completed transactions and 130 strategic M&A assignments across several overlapping industries of focus with ours. In 2020, Stifel’s SPAC franchise advised on more than 20 transactions including ten initial public offerings, two private investments in public equity (PIPEs), and 13 de-SPAC engagements. Miller Buckfire, SF’s restructuring unit, has an outstanding track record of providing unbiased, actionable advice in complex situations with its professionals having represented more than 170 companies, restructured nearly $350 billion of debt, and raised more than $60 billion in financing. We believe our partnership with SF will enhance our ability to consummate an attractive business combination.

Acquisition Criteria

Consistent with our business strategy of focusing on those targets which are liquidity constrained, are financially stressed or have completed a financial restructuring and can be valued at a discount to their intrinsic value and publicly-traded peers, we have identified the following additional general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any of these criteria and guidelines.

•        Enterprise Value: We intend to focus our efforts on seeking and completing an initial business combination with an enterprise that has a value of between $750.0 million to $1.25 billion;

•        Financial Well-Being: We expect to primarily target an initial business combination with solid financial fundamentals, despite prior mis-steps which can often occur through previously excessive leverage, challenging industry conditions, material litigation, regulatory shifts, macroeconomic events, performance disruptions, lack of management execution or any combination thereof;

•        Leading Industry Market Position: We intend to pursue companies whose products or services have leading positions within their respective markets with sustainable competitive advantages and natural barriers to market entry;

•        Solid Free Cash Flow Generation: We will seek to acquire an established company with attractive operating margins, strong free cash flow generation and solid recurring revenue streams;

•        Strong Management Team: We will seek to acquire a target business with an experienced management team and a proven track record of execution;

•        Favorable Industry Outlook: We will seek to acquire a target business where the end user markets of such target business’ products or services have a favorable growth outlook, which may include the aerospace & defense, communications infrastructure, consumer/food & beverage, healthcare, industrial growth, media & entertainment and technology industries;

•        Performance Catalysts: We intend to solicit target companies that have clearly identifiable opportunities to execute on growth initiatives following the initial business combination;

•        Market Fragmentation: We intend to seek business combinations that have significant opportunities for selective strategic acquisitions and partnerships that can complement an organic growth strategy; and

•        Benefit from Being a Public Company: We intend to acquire a business that can benefit from being publicly-traded and can effectively utilize broader access to capital.

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

Effecting a Business Combination

We will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders may seek to redeem their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of our proposed business combination or allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Unlike other blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related redemptions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

We will have until 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.00 per share of Class A common stock (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public stockholders.

As required by Nasdaq listing rules, approval of our initial business combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors. Nasdaq listing rules also require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a 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 the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% of fair market value test. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Even though our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

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

Our Acquisition Process

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

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Schultze Asset Management, investment funds or separate accounts advised by Schultze Asset Management or our sponsor or its officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Schultze Asset Management, LP, investment funds or separate accounts advised by Schultze Asset Management or our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

We may, at our option, pursue a business combination opportunity jointly with one or more entities affiliated with Schultze Asset Management and/or one or more investors in funds or separate accounts managed by Schultze Asset Management, which we refer to as an “Affiliated Joint Acquisition.” Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Schultze Asset Management considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. We refer to this potential future issuance, or a similar issuance to other specified purchasers, as a “specified future issuance” throughout this prospectus. The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance.

Our Management Team

Together with Schultze Asset Management, our management team has extensive investment, financial and operating experience, notably within the distressed and post-restructuring market. We believe such expertise provides us with a distinct competitive advantage when sourcing, pursuing and evaluating business combinations within the post-reorganization market and providing post-transaction oversight. We have the same management team in place for our company as with Schultze I, which successfully completed its business combination with Clever Leaves, providing valuable continuity and consistency for our investors. Further, our management team has significant industry experience across key industry focus areas including aerospace & defense, communications infrastructure,

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consumer/food & beverage, healthcare, industrial growth, media & entertainment and technology. Our Chairman and CEO, George J. Schultze, is the General Partner of Schultze Asset Management. Mr. Schultze leads all of Schultze Asset Management’s investments and has been directly responsible for its illiquid and active investments, which have included Algoma Steel, Clever Leaves, Chrysler, Imperial Sugar, Tropicana Entertainment, Washington Group, and Werner. Since its inception in 1998, Schultze Asset Management has made investments exceeding $3.2 billion. Our Executive Vice President and director nominee, Gary M. Julien, is also a Managing Director at Schultze Asset Management and has over 20 years of M&A, SPAC and public and private equity investment experience across a variety of industries. Our director nominee, William G. LaPerch, has notable experience in public market turnarounds within the communications infrastructure landscape, is the former CEO and a Director of AboveNet, Inc. (formerly NYSE: ABVT), a communications infrastructure provider. Following its emergence from Chapter 11 in 2003, Mr. LaPerch led AboveNet through its sale in 2012 to Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. for $2.2 billion. Our director nominee, William T. Allen, has led several successful private company turnarounds, most notably as the CEO of Werner Co., a leading manufacturer of industrial climbing products. Following Werner’s emergence from Chapter 11 in 2007, Mr. Allen oversaw a significant turnaround during his tenure leading to a successful sale of Werner to Triton Funds in 2017. Our director nominee, John J. Walker, brings significant experience as a successful public company CFO, including in turnarounds, and audit committee chair. Currently a Director at The Descartes Systems Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DSGX, TSX; DSG), Mr. Walker was formerly the CFO of Bowne which was sold to R.R. Donnelley in 2010 for $470 million and Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation which emerged from Chapter 11 in 2002 and was sold to AMC Entertainment in 2006 for $1.5 billion.

For more information regarding our management team’s experience, please see “Management” beginning on page 86.

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own shares of our common stock, or other instruments, such as warrants, linked to our common stock, 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.

As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such initial business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such initial business combination opportunity to us. Certain of our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations. Accordingly, if any of such officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations to present the opportunity to such entity, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our officers and directors have agreed to present to us all target business opportunities that have a 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 the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations.

Private Placements

On January 15, 2021, our sponsor purchased 5,750,000 shares of our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as the “founder shares,” for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture and an aggregate of 50,000 founder shares to our Strategic Advisors, in each case at the same price originally paid for such shares. The founder shares include an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, including up to 714,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor and up to 36,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by Stifel Venture, so that our initial stockholders will continue to own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming such stockholders do not purchase units in this offering). None of the founder shares transferred to our director nominees will be subject to forfeiture to the extent the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

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In addition, our sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 (or 4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) private placement warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private placement warrants, our sponsor will purchase 4,000,000 (or 4,340,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants and Stifel Venture will purchase 400,000 (or 460,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering except that private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). The proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed in a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. If we do not complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants will be included in the liquidating distribution to our public stockholders and such private placement warrants will expire worthless.

Corporate Information

Our executive offices are located at 800 Westchester Avenue, Suite S-632, Rye Brook, New York 10573, and our telephone number is (914) 701-5260.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). 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 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period. We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years. However, if our annual gross revenue is $1.07 billion or more, if our nonconvertible debt issued within a three year period exceeds $1 billion or the market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

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The Offering

Securities offered

 

20,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock.

Listing of our securities and proposed symbols

 


We anticipate the units, and the shares of Class A common stock and warrants once they begin separate trading, will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “SAMAU,” “SAMA” and “SAMAW,” respectively.

Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants

 



The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The shares of Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Stifel and Mizuho inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin.

   

Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.

   

In no event will the shares of Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

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Units:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 


0 units

Number outstanding after this
offering

 


20,000,000 units(1)

Shares of common stock:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 


5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock(2)

Number outstanding after this
offering

 


25,000,000 shares of common stock(1)(3)

Warrants:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 


0 warrants

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

 




4,400,000 warrants(1)

Number to be outstanding after this offering and sale of private placement warrants

 



11,066,666 warrants(1)

Exercisability

 

Each whole warrant will become exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock on the later of 30 days after the completion of an initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption. The period of time from the date the warrants will first become exercisable until the expiration of the warrants shall hereafter be referred to as the “exercise period.”

   

We structured each unit to contain one-third of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of an initial business combination, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive initial business combination partner for target businesses.

____________

(1)      Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our initial stockholders of 750,000 founder shares.

(2)      Includes up to 750,000 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full. The founder shares are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”

(3)      Comprised of 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and 5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock.

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We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective within 90 days after the closing of our initial business combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 90th day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

Exercise price

 

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

   

No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of Class A common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within 90 days 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 of 1933, as amended, or 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.

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Redemption of warrants

 

Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:

•   in whole and not in part;

•   at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

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

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

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

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 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 of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” for additional information.

Founder shares

 

Our initial stockholders have purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture and an aggregate of 50,000 founder shares to our Strategic Advisors, in each case at the same price originally paid for such shares. The 5,750,000 founder shares include an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, including up to 714,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor and up to 36,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by Stifel Venture. 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 the company by the aggregate number of founder shares issued.

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The holders of the founder shares will be required to forfeit only a number of shares of common stock necessary to continue to maintain the 20% ownership interest in our shares of common stock after giving effect to the offering (assuming such stockholders do not purchase units in this offering) and exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. The holders of the founder shares have agreed (i) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (ii) not to redeem any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination.

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

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

•   the founder shares are shares of Class B common stock that automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein;

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

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

   

•   pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. As a result, in addition

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to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be votedin favor of an initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised); and

•   the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.

The founder shares transferred by our sponsor to Stifel Venture are deemed underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual.

Restrictions on transfer of founder shares

 


Subject to certain limited exceptions, our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our business combination, (x) if the last sales price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.

Private placement warrants

 

Our sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 (or 4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at $1.50 per warrant (for a total purchase price of $6,600,000, or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Among the private placement warrants, our sponsor will purchase 4,000,000 (or 4,340,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants and Stifel Venture will purchase 400,000 (or 460,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants. The purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the 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 will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering except that private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A).

   

The private placement warrants to be purchased by Stifel Venture are deemed underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual.

Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants

 


The private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock 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.

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Election of directors and
voting rights

 


Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a resolution passed by holders of a majority of our Class B common stock. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law or the applicable rules of Nasdaq then in effect, 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 certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be divided into two 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 stockholders) serving a two-year term.

Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights

 


The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination). Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their shares of Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

Offering proceeds to be held in trust account

 


Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $10.00 per unit sold in this offering, or $200,000,000 ($230,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be placed into a U.S.-based trust account at maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in specified U.S. government treasury bills or in specified money market funds. Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earliest of: (1) the completion of an initial business combination within the required time period; (2) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination within the required time period; and (3) our redemption of our public shares in connection with the approval of any amendment to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of

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incorporation relating to our pre- initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights, including the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions 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 the required time period. Therefore, unless and until an initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business.

   

Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us from the trust account any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we need to pay our taxes and for dissolution or liquidation expenses up to $150,000, as applicable. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $200,000 of pre-tax interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 0.1% per year). With this exception, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account (initially estimated to be $1,500,000); provided, however, that in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant. These warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. If we do not complete a business combination, the loans will be forgiven.

   

None of the warrants may be exercised until after the consummation of a business combination, thus, after the proceeds of the trust account have been disbursed. Accordingly, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.

   

The amount of proceeds to be held in and outside of our trust account immediately following the closing of this offering is net of underwriting discounts of $4.0 million (or $4.6 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and estimated offering expenses of $1.1 million. These proceeds include $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.

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 immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see “Management — Audit Committee.”

Limited payments to insiders

 

There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates for any services they render prior to, or in order to effectuate the consummation of, an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) 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, without interest, at the closing of this offering of an aggregate of up to $250,000 loaned to us by our sponsor;

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•   payment of an aggregate of up to $25,000 per month to our sponsor for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support;

   

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

•   repayment of non-interest bearing 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.

   

There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates.

Stockholder approval of, or tender offer in connection with, initial business combination

 



In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (i) seek stockholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders 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 (net of taxes payable), or (ii) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender any or all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. If enough stockholders tender their shares so that we are unable to satisfy any applicable closing condition set forth in the definitive agreement related to our initial business combination, or we are unable to maintain net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation, we will not consummate such initial business combination. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Unlike other blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related redemptions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

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We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.

   

The holders of the founder shares have agreed (i) to vote any such shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (ii) not to redeem any such shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (iii) not to sell any such shares to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination. As a result, we would need only 7,500,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 1,250,001, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised).

   

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

Redemption rights

 

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether such stockholder is voting for or against such proposed business combination, to demand that we redeem such stockholder’s shares for a pro rata share of the trust account.

   

We may require public stockholders seeking redemption, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) physically tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to redeem shares is irrevocable once the business combination is approved. There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting holder.

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We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation. In connection with any proposed business combination, a target business could impose a working capital closing condition or require us to have a higher minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination. As a result, the foregoing may limit the number of shares that we can have redeemed and still consummate such business combination.

Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote

 





Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination in conjunction with a stockholder vote pursuant to a proxy solicitation (meaning that we would not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares of common stock with respect to an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares of common stock, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares of common stock as a means to force us or our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers or any of their affiliates to purchase their shares of common stock at a significant premium to the then- current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder (together with its “group”) holding an aggregate of more than 15% of the shares of common stock sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares of common stock were not purchased by us or our founders, directors, director nominees, executive officers or any of their affiliates at a premium to the then- current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our public stockholders’ redemption rights as herein described, we believe we will limit the potential for a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block the completion of 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 restrict our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares of common stock (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.

Liquidation if no business
combination

 


If we are unable to complete an initial business combination by 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 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve

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and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. We cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we are required to use our reasonable best efforts to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement entered into by our sponsor specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (i) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (ii) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. Although we will endeavour to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account, we cannot ensure investors that there will not be claims against the trust account. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations.

   

The holders of the founder shares will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to such shares.

   

If we are unable to conclude an initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not deposited in the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be approximately $10.00 (which is equal to the anticipated aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account excluding any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account). The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims

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of our stockholders. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption price will not be less than approximately $10.00.

   

We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that we are permitted to withdraw to pay such expenses.

Conflicts of interest

 

Schultze Asset Management manages investment vehicles. Funds and separate accounts managed by Schultze Asset Management or its affiliates may compete with us for business combination opportunities. If these funds or separate accounts decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing it. In addition, investment ideas generated within Schultze Asset Management may be suitable for both us and for a current or future Schultze Asset Management fund or separate account and may be directed to such investment vehicle rather than to us. Neither Schultze Asset Management nor members of our management team who are also employed by Schultze Asset Management have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, unless presented to such member solely in his or her capacity as an officer of the company. Schultze Asset Management and/or our management, in their capacities as employees of Schultze Asset Management or in their other endeavors, currently are required to present certain investment opportunities and potential business combinations to the various related entities described above, current Schultze Asset Management investment vehicles, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us. Schultze Asset Management and our management may have similar obligations to future investment vehicles or third parties. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination.

   

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with a fund or separate account managed by Schultze Asset Management or its affiliates. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Schultze Asset Management considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. Such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by making a specified future issuance to any such fund or vehicle.

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Potential amendments to charter

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon the 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 but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or any other person. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that amendments to any of its provisions relating to our pre- initial business combination activity and related stockholders’ rights, including the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions 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 the required time period, may be amended if approved by holders of at least a majority of our common stock.

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RISKS

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

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

•        We may not be able to complete 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 for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account, and we would liquidate. In such event, our warrants would expire worthless.

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

•        Our initial stockholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.

•        We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

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

•        We may issue additional shares of capital stock or debt securities to complete a business combination, or issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination, which would dilute the equity interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

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

•        Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

•        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 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

•        We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

•        There may be tax consequences to our business combinations that may adversely affect us.

•        Certain of our officers and directors have, and any of our officers and directors or their affiliates may in the future have, outside fiduciary and contractual obligations and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

•        Our officers and directors may have interests in a potential business combination that are different than yours, which may create conflicts of interest.

•        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.

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•        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.

•        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 will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of shares of our Class A common stock.

•        We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants.

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

•        If third parties bring claims against us, and if our directors decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, or if our sponsor does not have the funds to indemnify us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

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

•        Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

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

•        We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our public stockholders will not have the right to elect or remove directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

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

•        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 a business combination.

•        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.

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

•        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 offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419.”

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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, and accordingly only balance sheet data is presented.

 

January 15, 2021

 

March 31, 2021

   

Actual

 

Actual

 

As Adjusted

   

 

(Audited)

 

 

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Balance Sheet Data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working capital (deficit)(1)

 

$

(11,000

)

 

$

(173,876

)

 

$

195,123,901

Total assets(2)

 

 

135,000

 

 

 

207,135

 

 

 

202,123,901

Total liabilities(3)

 

 

111,000

 

 

 

183,234

 

 

 

7,000,000

Value of common stock subject to possible
redemption/tender(4)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

190,123,900

Stockholders’ (deficit) equity(5)

 

 

24,000

 

 

 

23,901

 

 

 

5,000,001

____________

(1)      The “as adjusted” calculation includes $200,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $1,500,000 of cash held outside the trust account, plus $23,901 of actual stockholders’ equity at March 31, 2021.

(2)      The “as adjusted” calculation equals $200,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $1,500,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $23,901 of actual stockholders’ equity at March 31, 2021.

(3)      The “as adjusted” calculation equals $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised.

(4)      The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” stockholders’ equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination.

(5)      Excludes 19,012,390 shares of common stock which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of shares of common stock that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share).

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.

The “as adjusted” working capital and total assets amounts include the $200,000,000 to be held in the trust account, which, except for limited situations described in this prospectus, will be available to us only upon the consummation of a business combination within the time period described in this prospectus. If a business combination is not so consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public stockholders (subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors).

We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below, which we believe represent the material risks related to the offering, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below.

Risks Related to Searching for and Consummating a Business Combination

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 March 31, 2021 we had $9,358 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $173,876. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this 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.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. 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.

Past performance by our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in our company or the future performance of any business we may acquire.

Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our management team and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s or their affiliates’ performance as indicative of our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.

Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination.

We will either (i) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public stockholders 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 (net of taxes payable), or (ii) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus. Accordingly, it is possible that we will consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.

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

Unlike many other blank check companies in which the founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public stockholders in connection with an initial business combination, our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote any common stock held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the founder shares held by our founders, executive officers, directors and director nominees, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 1,250,001, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least approximately 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if such persons agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders.

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

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

If we determine to change our acquisition criteria or guidelines, many of the disclosures contained in this prospectus would no longer be applicable to us and you would be investing in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.

We could seek to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines disclosed in this prospectus although we have no current intention to do so. For instance, we currently anticipate acquiring a target business with a consistent historical financial performance. However, we are not obligated to do so and may determine to merge with or acquire a company with no operating history if the terms of the transaction are determined by us to be favorable to our public stockholders. In such event, many of the acquisition criteria and guidelines set forth in this prospectus would no longer be applicable to us. We could also seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to provide us with more time to complete an initial business combination. Accordingly, investors may be making an investment in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in trust are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, we may be unable to complete a business combination.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. However, we cannot assure you that our estimates will be accurate. Accordingly, if we use all of the funds held outside of the trust account, we may not have sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or close an initial business combination. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, officers or directors or their affiliates to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our sponsor, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount that they deem reasonable in their sole discretion for our working capital needs. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant.

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The ability of our stockholders to exercise their redemption rights or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

If our business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many stockholders may exercise redemption rights or seek to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such redemption, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B common stock results in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our business combination. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of a proposed business combination and still seek redemption of his, her or its shares.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public stockholder (but not our sponsor, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of common stock redeemed for cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) regardless of whether such stockholder votes for or against such proposed business combination. This ability to seek redemption while voting in favor of our proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a business combination.

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

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

If, in connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to comply with specific requirements for redemption, such redeeming stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

If we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System as described above and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.

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

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

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

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

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

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

In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed in ways adverse to us and our management team. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. These trends may continue into the future.

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

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

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We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the 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 consummate a 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, because of either the size of the business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business or the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from dissenting stockholders, we will be required to seek additional financing. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular 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, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional 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 sponsor, officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after a business combination.

Our initial stockholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder vote.

Upon consummation of our offering, our initial stockholders prior to the offering will own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). None of our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares of common stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of stockholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our sponsor and initial stockholders, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them immediately before this offering as well as any shares of common stock acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.

Our board of directors will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There may not be an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of a business combination.

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination. Our public stockholders will not have the right to elect or remove directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by Nasdaq) and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL. Until we hold an annual meeting of stockholders, public stockholders may not be afforded the opportunity to discuss company affairs with management. In addition, as holders of shares of our Class A common stock, our public stockholders will not have the right to vote on the election, removal or replacement of directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination.

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If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of Class A common stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

Our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the founder shares and the holders of the private placement warrants and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and any other warrants we issue to them (and the underlying shares of Class A common stock) commencing at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. The presence of these additional shares of Class A common stock trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the stockholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of Class A common stock.

The requirement that we complete an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination.

We have 24 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.

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 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted, and other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner, or if COVID-19 causes a prolonged economic downturn. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

In addition, our ability to consummate a business combination 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 COVID-19 pandemic may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.

We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

We will only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

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Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

It is anticipated 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 a decision is made not to complete a specific business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the 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.

We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

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 stockholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a stockholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

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

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we will not be able to complete a business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with such standards.

The 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. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. Additionally, to the extent we furnish our stockholders with financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, such financial statements will need to be audited in accordance with U.S. GAAP at the time of the consummation of the business combination. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.

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

Unlike most blank check companies, if

(i)     we issue additional shares of common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share of common stock,

(ii)    the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and

(iii)   the Market Value is below $9.20 per share,

then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the 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. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

We may be subject to an increased rate of tax on our income if we are treated as a personal holding company.

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that we could be treated as a “personal holding company” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation generally will be classified as a personal holding company for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if more than 50% of its ownership (by value) is concentrated, within a certain period of time, in five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts), and at least 60% of its income is comprised of certain passive items. See the section titled “Material U.S. Federal Tax Considerations — Personal Holding Company Status” for more detailed information.

There may be tax consequences to our business combinations that may adversely affect us.

While we expect to undertake any merger or acquisition so as to minimize taxes both to the acquired business and/or asset and us, such business combination might not meet the statutory requirements of a tax-free reorganization, or the parties might not obtain the intended tax-free treatment upon a transfer of shares or assets. A non-qualifying reorganization could result in the imposition of substantial taxes.

Risks Related to the Post-Business Combination Company

If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business, we may subsequently be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

We must conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a particular target business, and factors outside the control of the target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business, industry or the environment in which the target business operates, we may later be forced to write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. 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 common stock. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing during or subsequent to the business combination.

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Investments in post-restructured equities are subject to various risks.

Business combinations with post-restructured entities entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:

•        investments in such companies are speculative, prices are volatile, and market movements are difficult to predict;

•        supply and demand for distressed securities change rapidly and are affected by a variety of market factors over which we have no control and which may reduce the pool of profitable investment opportunities;

•        our ability to identify undervalued investment opportunities that fit our business strategy involves a high degree of uncertainty, and no assurance can be given that we will be able to identify such opportunities;

•        such investments may take a substantial period of time before realizing their anticipated value and returns generated from such investments may not adequately compensate for the business and financial risks assumed; and

•        there is no guarantee that we will be able to achieve our investment objectives or provide any return on invested capital.

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses will not be limited to post-restructured entities. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business that is not a post-restructured entity, it is possible that these specific risks would not affect us in the same manner, but we would be subject to other risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, none of which can be presently ascertained.

Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target business with which to complete a business combination, we are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry or business in which we may ultimately operate.

Although we intend to initially focus our search on identifying a prospective target business that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, is financially stressed or has experienced and emerged from a financial restructuring, we are not limited to completing a business combination with a target business in any industry or geographic location and may consummate a business combination with a company in any industry or geographic location we choose. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately acquire. To the extent we complete a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. If we complete a business combination with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of that industry. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular industry or target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our officers are required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, our officers may 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 employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.

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Additionally, the role of our key personnel after a business combination cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may continue to serve in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a 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 public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

Although we intend to initially focus our search on identifying a prospective target business that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, is financially stressed or has experienced and emerged from a financial restructuring such as a bankruptcy court protection, which is where our management team has its most experience, we are not limited to such industry and may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

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

We may effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States. If we did, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’s home jurisdiction, including any of the following:

•        rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

•        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;

•        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 cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

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

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our

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assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under federal securities laws.

Risks Relating to Conflicts of Interest of our Officers, Directors and Others

Our officers and directors may 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 consummate a business combination.

Our officers and directors are not required to commit their full time to our affairs, which could create a conflict of interest when allocating their time between our operations and their other commitments. We presently expect each of our employees to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. All of our officers and directors are engaged in other business endeavors and are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our affairs. In particular, certain of our officers and directors are employed by Schultze Asset Management, which is an investment manager to various investment funds, which make investments in securities or other interests of or relating to companies in industries we may target for our initial business combination. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote more substantial amounts of time to such affairs, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs and could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that these conflicts will be resolved in our favor. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Directors and Executive Officers.”

Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.

Our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed to waive their right to redeem their founder shares and any other shares purchased in this offering or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination. Accordingly, the shares acquired prior to this offering will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. Additionally, the warrants, including the private placement warrants held by our sponsor, will expire worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers, including through their interests in our sponsor, may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our stockholders’ best interest.

Certain of our officers and directors have, and any of our officers and directors or their affiliates may in the future have, outside fiduciary and contractual obligations and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Certain of our directors have, and any of our officers and directors or their affiliates may in the future have, fiduciary and contractual obligations to other companies. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with the consummation of our initial business combination. As a result, a potential target business may be presented by our management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in a transaction with such target business. For a more detailed description of the pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations of our management team, and the potential conflicts of interest that such obligations may present, see the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

We may acquire a target business through an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with one or more affiliates of Schultze Asset Management. This may result in conflicts of interest as well as dilutive issuances of our securities.

We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with an entity affiliated with Schultze Asset Management. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Schultze Asset Management considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the

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need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our 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 15, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture and an aggregate of 50,000 founder shares to our Strategic Advisors, in each case at the same price originally paid for such shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and Stifel Venture have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 warrants (or 4,800,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $6,600,000 (or $7,200,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), that will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Holders of founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.

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

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

Since our sponsor paid only approximately $0.004 per share for the founder shares, our Chairman could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value.

On January 15, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture and an aggregate of 50,000 founder shares to our Strategic Advisors, in each case at the same price originally paid for such shares. Our Chairman has a significant indirect economic interest in our sponsor. As a result, the low acquisition cost of the founder shares creates an economic incentive whereby our Chairman could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.

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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 a 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 will be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements 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 the company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

Risks Related to Our Securities

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public stockholders may be forced to wait more than 24 months before receiving distributions from the trust account.

We have 24 months from the closing of this offering in which to complete a business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless (i) we consummate a business combination prior thereto or (ii) we seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to consummation of a business combination, and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of this full time period will public security holders be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will continue in existence only until 24 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 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 such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by stockholders may be less than $10.00” and other risk factors.

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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 the 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 shares of Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

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

•        prior offerings of those companies;

•        our prospects for acquiring an operating business;

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

•        our capital structure;

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

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

•        other factors as were deemed relevant.

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

Our initial stockholders paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, for the founder shares and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of shares of our Class A common stock.

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A common stock and none to the warrants included in the units) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to the investors in this offering. Our initial stockholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon consummation of this offering, you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 91.6% or $9.16 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share $0.84, and the initial offering price of $10.00 per share at a fully diluted base immediately upon closing of this offering). This is because investors in this offering will be contributing approximately 99.99% of the total amount paid to us for our outstanding shares of common stock after this offering but will only own 80% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Accordingly, the per-share purchase price you will be paying substantially exceeds our per share net tangible book value. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.

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

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 6,666,666 shares of Class A common stock as part of the units offered by this prospectus (or warrants to purchase 7,666,666 shares of Class A common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and private placement warrants to purchase 4,400,000 shares of Class A common stock (or warrants to purchase 4,800,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). We may also issue other warrants to our sponsor, officers or directors in payment of working capital loans made to us as described in this prospectus. To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such securities, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business

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combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.

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

Each unit contains one-third of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-third of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.

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

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third business day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time we redeem the warrants, we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.

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

If we call our 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, her or its warrant (including any warrants held by our sponsor, officers or directors or their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of shares of Class A common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his, her or its warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.

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

There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). 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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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 anticipate that our securities will be listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Although, after giving effect to this offering, we expect to meet on a pro forma basis Nasdaq’s minimum initial listing standards, which generally only requires that we meet certain requirements relating to stockholders’ equity, market capitalization, aggregate market value of publicly held shares and distribution requirements, we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future prior to an initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, it is likely that Nasdaq will require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

•        a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

•        reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;

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

•        a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and

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

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

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

Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public stockholders. If we are unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public stockholders, our sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described elsewhere in this prospectus) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, it may not be able to meet such obligation. Therefore, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.00, plus interest, due to such claims.

Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we may not be able to return to our public stockholders at least

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$10.00 per share. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share.

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

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

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will continue in existence only until 24 months from the closing of this offering. If we have not completed a business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed to them by us.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties 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 stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

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

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below $10.00 per public share 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 such indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce such 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 stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

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

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

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of shares of Class A common stock that holders will receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his, her or its warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our commercially reasonable efforts to meet these conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless.

An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon such exercise have been registered or qualified or are deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.

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

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

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision or (ii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

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

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

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

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

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 168,933,334 and 15,000,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Shares of Class B common stock are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.

We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we may not issue securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public 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 outstanding public shares.

The issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock:

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

•        may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;

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

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

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

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

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•        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; and

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

If we incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the per-share redemption amount in the trust account.

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interests of stockholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock.

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel; provided that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) arising under the Securities Act. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law but will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

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

An investment in this offering may involve uncertain or adverse 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 the unit between the share of Class A common stock and one-third of one warrant included in the unit could be challenged by the Internal Revenue Service of the United States (“IRS”) or the courts.

•        if we make distributions on our common stock, such distributions generally will be treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. The ability of a holder to seek redemption of their shares may be viewed as a position with respect to substantially similar or related property which diminishes your risk of loss and thereby affects your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

•        our warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis in certain situations as described herein. Although there is no direct legal authority as to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an exercise of a warrant on a cashless basis, we intend to take the position that such exercise will not be taxable, either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because it qualifies as a tax-free recapitalization. In the former case, the holding period of the shares of Class A common stock should commence on the day after the warrant is exercised. In the latter case, the holding period of the shares of Class A common stock would include the holding period of the exercised warrants. However, our position is not binding on the IRS and the IRS may treat a cashless exercise of a warrant as a taxable exchange.

•        any capital gain or loss you realize on a sale or other disposition of shares of Class A common stock will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if your holding period for the shares of Class A common stock is more than one year. However, the redemption feature of the Class A common stock could affect your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the long-term capital gain tax rate with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

See the section titled “Material U.S. Federal Tax Considerations” for a summary of the material United States Federal income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult a tax advisor with respect to the specific tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our securities, including the applicability and effect of state, local, or foreign tax laws, as well as U.S. federal tax laws.

General Risks

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

We are a newly formed company with no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public offering of our securities. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to consummate an initial business combination. We have not conducted any substantive discussions and we have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective acquisition candidates. We will not generate any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a business combination.

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

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700.0 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

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

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements and other disclosures with other public companies difficult or impossible.

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of 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 a 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, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules which would, for example, completely restrict the transferability of our securities, require us to complete a business combination within 24 months of the effective date of the initial registration statement and restrict the use of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account. Because we are not subject to Rule 419, our units will be immediately tradable and we will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the trust account prior to the completion of a business combination.

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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 a business combination.

A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Since we will invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may be invested by the trustee only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act.

If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business combination, including:

•        restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

•        restrictions on the issuance of securities.

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

•        registration as an investment company;

•        adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

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

Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.

Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require substantial financial and management resources and may increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls and may require that we have such system of internal controls audited beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties and/or stockholder litigation. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports could harm our business. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires that our independent registered public accounting firm report on management’s evaluation of our system of internal controls. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition. Furthermore, any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our stock.

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

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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.

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.

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

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

•        ability to complete our initial business combination;

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

•        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;

•        potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete a business combination;

•        pool of prospective target businesses;

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

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

•        potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock;

•        public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

•        the lack of a market for our securities;

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

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

•        financial performance following this offering.

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

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be as set forth in the following table:

 

Without
Over-Allotment Option

 

Over-Allotment Option
Exercised

Gross proceeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From offering

 

$

200,000,000

 

 

$

230,000,000

 

From private placement

 

 

6,600,000

 

 

 

7,200,000

 

Total gross proceeds

 

 

206,600,000

 

 

 

237,200,000

 

Offering expenses(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underwriting discount (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3)

 

 

4,000,000

(2)

 

 

4,600,000

(2)

Legal fees and expenses

 

 

275,000

 

 

 

275,000

 

Nasdaq Listing Fees

 

 

5,000

 

 

 

5,000

 

Printing and engraving expenses

 

 

25,000

 

 

 

25,000

 

Accounting fees and expenses

 

 

30,000

 

 

 

30,000

 

D&O insurance

 

 

600,000

 

 

 

600,000

 

FINRA filing fee

 

 

35,000

 

 

 

35,000

 

SEC registration fee

 

 

25,000

 

 

 

25,000

 

Miscellaneous expenses

 

 

105,000

 

 

 

105,000

 

Total expenses (other than underwriters’ discount)

 

 

1,100,000

 

 

 

1,100,000

 

Net proceeds

 

$

201,500,000

 

 

$

231,500,000

 

Held in trust(3)

 

$

200,000,000

 

 

$

230,000,000

 

% of public offering size

 

 

100.0

%

 

 

100.0

%

Not held in trust

 

 

1,500,000

 

 

 

1,500,000

 

 

Amount

 

Percentage

Use of net proceeds not held in trust(4)(5)

 

 

     

 

Legal, accounting and other third party expenses attendant to the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of a business combination

 

$

500,000

 

33.3

%

Due diligence of prospective target businesses by officers, directors and sponsor

 

$

100,000

 

6.7

%

Legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations

 

$

68,000

 

4.5

%

Payment of administrative fee to our sponsor (up to $25,000 per month for up to 24 months)

 

$

600,000

 

40.0

%

Nasdaq continued listing fees and deferred portion of entry fee

 

$

183,000

 

12.2

%

Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses, general corporate purposes, and reserves

 

$

49,000

 

3.3

%

Total

 

$

1,500,000

 

100.0

%

____________

(1)      A portion of the offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have been paid from the funds we borrowed from our sponsor described below. These funds will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants available to us.

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

(3)      The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 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 by the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.

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(4)      The amount of proceeds not held in trust will remain constant at approximately $1,500,000 even if the over-allotment is exercised.

(5)      These are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of that business combination. 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 be deducted from our excess working capital.

Our sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 (or 4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants from us for an aggregate purchase price of $6,600,000 (or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described elsewhere in this prospectus. All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account described below.

$200,000,000, or $230,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, including $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, New York, New York, as trustee. The funds held in trust will be invested only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the conditions of paragraph (d) under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, so that we are not deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise and income tax obligations, the proceeds will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of a business combination, (ii) our redemption of 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. The proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete a business combination. Any amounts not paid as consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to finance operations of the target business.

The payment to our sponsor of a monthly fee of an aggregate of up to $25,000 is for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support. This arrangement is being agreed to by our sponsor for our benefit and is not intended to provide our sponsor or affiliated officers and directors with compensation in lieu of a salary. This arrangement will terminate upon completion of our initial business combination or the distribution of the trust account to our public stockholders. Other than the up to $25,000 per month fee and the repayment of loans from our sponsor (none of which payments 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), no compensation of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us after the date of this prospectus and prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such entity and individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. Our audit committee will review all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, on a quarterly basis, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. There is no limit on the amount of such expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Since the role of present management after a business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after a business combination.

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Regardless of whether the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the net proceeds from this offering available to us out of trust for our working capital requirements in searching for a business combination will be approximately $1,500,000. We intend to use the proceeds for miscellaneous expenses such as paying fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business, with the balance being held in reserve in the event due diligence, legal, accounting and other expenses of structuring and negotiating business combinations exceed our estimates, as well as for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our sponsor, officers and directors in connection with activities on our behalf as described below.

The allocation of the net proceeds available to us outside of the trust account represents our best estimate of the intended uses of these funds. In the event that our assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we may reallocate some of such proceeds within the above described categories. 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. In this event, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from members of our management team, but such members of our management team are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

We may use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto. To the extent that our capital stock is used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the proceeds held in the trust account which are not used to consummate a business combination (including to pay redeeming stockholders as described herein) will be disbursed to the combined company and will, along with any other net proceeds not expended, be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’s operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products.

To the extent we are unable to consummate a business combination, we will pay the costs of liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and any available interest earned on the funds held in the trust account of $150,000 that we are permitted to withdraw.

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $250,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of March 31, 2021, we had $75,000 in borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 and the closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants available to us for payment of offering expenses.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, we will have sufficient available funds to operate for the next 24 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. However, if necessary, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. If we do not complete a business combination, the loans will be forgiven.

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account (including interest earned on his, her or its portion of the trust account to the extent not previously released to us) only in the event of (i) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period, (ii) if that public stockholder redeems such shares, or sells such shares to us in a tender offer, in connection with a business combination which we consummate or (iii) we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board of directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. However, if we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital, or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.

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DILUTION

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

At March 31, 2021 our net tangible book value was $(173,876), or approximately $(0.03) per share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock 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 March 31, 2021 would have been $5,000,001 or $0.84 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the 19,012,390 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $0.87 per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $9.16 per share or 91.6%, to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. The decrease attributable to public shares subject to redemption is included in the calculation below at $10.00 per share, as all public stockholders have the right to redeem. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.27 per share, or 92.7%.

The following table illustrates the dilution to the new investors on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:

 

Without
Over-Alloment

 

With
Over-Allotment

Public offering price

 

 

 

 

 

$

10.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

10.00

 

Net tangible book value before this offering(1)

 

$

(0.03

)

 

 

 

 

 

$

(0.03

)

 

 

 

 

Increase attributable to public stockholders and private sales

 

 

0.87

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.76

 

 

 

 

 

Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.84

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0.73

 

Dilution to public stockholders

 

 

 

 

 

$

9.16

 

 

 

 

 

 

$

9.27

 

Percentage of dilution to public stockholders

 

 

 

 

 

 

91.6

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

92.7

%

The following table sets forth information with respect to our existing stockholders and the public stockholders:

 

Shares Purchased

 

Total Consideration

 

Average
Price
per Share

Number

 

Percentage

 

Amount

 

Percentage

 

Existing stockholders

 

5,000,000

(1)

 

20.00

%

 

$

25,000

 

0.01

%

 

$

0.005

Public stockholders

 

20,000,000

 

 

80.00

%

 

$

200,000,000

 

99.99

%

 

$

10.00

   

25,000,000

 

 

100.00

%

 

$

200,025,000

 

100.00

%

 

 

 

____________

(1)      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

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

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net tangible book value before the offering

 

$

(173,876

)

 

$

(173,876

)

Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants

 

 

201,500,000

 

 

 

231,500,000

 

Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering

 

 

197,777

 

 

 

197,777

 

Plus: Prepaid Insurance

 

 

600,000

 

 

 

600,000

 

Less: Deferred underwriters’ commissions payable

 

 

(7,000,000

)

 

 

(8,050,000

)

Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption/tender

 

 

(190,123,900

)

 

 

(219,073,900

)

   

$

5,000,001

 

 

$

5,000,001

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering

 

 

5,000,000

(1)

 

 

5,750,000

 

Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered

 

 

20,000,000

 

 

 

23,000,000

 

Less: Shares subject to redemption/tender

 

 

(19,012,390

)

 

 

(21,907,390

)

   

 

5,987,610

 

 

 

6,842,610

 

____________

(1)      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization at March 31, 2021 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 20,000,000 units in this offering for $200,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 4,400,000 private placement warrants for $6,600,000 (or $1.50 per warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of the over-allotment option:

 

March 31, 2021

   

Actual

 

As Adjusted(1)

Note payable to related party(2)

 

$

75,000

 

 

$

 

Deferred underwriting commissions

 

 

 

 

 

7,000,000

 

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted; -0- and 19,012,390 shares which are subject to possible redemption/tender(3)

 

 

 

 

 

190,123,900

 

Stockholders’ equity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 200,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted; 0 and 987,610 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 19,012,390 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)

 

 

 

 

 

99

 

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, actual and as adjusted; 5,750,000 and 5,000,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4)

 

 

575

 

 

 

500

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

24,425

 

 

 

5,000,501

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(1,099

)

 

 

(1,099

)

Total stockholders’ equity:

 

$

23,901

 

 

 

5,000,001

 

Total capitalization

 

$

98,901

 

 

 

202,123,901

 

____________

(1)      Includes the $6.6 million we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants.

(2)      Note payable to a related party in the amount of up to $250,000 in the aggregate to our sponsor. This note is not-interest bearing and is payable at the closing of the offering.

(3)      Upon the consummation of our initial business combination, we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem or sell 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 less franchise and income 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.

(4)      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

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

We were formed on December 15, 2020 for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. Our efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to initially focus our search for target businesses that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, are financially stressed or have experienced and emerged from a financial restructuring. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our securities, debt or a combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting a business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:

•        may significantly reduce the equity interest of our stockholders, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock;

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

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

•        may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our securities.

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

•        default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations;

•        acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

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

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

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our entire activity since inception has been to prepare for our proposed fundraising through an offering of our equity securities.

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

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at March 31, 2021, we had $9,358 in cash and a working capital deficit of $173,876. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares. In addition, as of March 31, 2021, our sponsor has loaned to us a total of $75,000 (from a total of up to $250,000 that we may draw down) to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of

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this offering out of the $1,100,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $1,100,000 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $4.0 million (or approximately $4.6 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7.0 million (or $8.05 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)), and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $6.6 million, or approximately $7.2 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be $201.5 million (or $231.5 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $200.0 million (or $230.0 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $7.0 million (or $8.05 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions. The remaining $1.5 million in either case will not be held in trust.

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

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the approximate $1.5 million of net proceeds not held in the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 24 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:

•        $500,000 of expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of a business combination;

•        $100,000 of expenses for the due diligence and investigation of a target business by our officers, directors and sponsor;

•        $68,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting obligations;

•        $600,000 for the payment of the administrative fee to our sponsor (of an aggregate of up to $25,000 per month for up to 24 months);

•        $183,000 for the payment of the continuing Nasdaq listing fees and deferred entry fee; and

•        $49,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses, general corporate purposes, liquidation obligations and reserves.

If our estimates of the costs of 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 consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. We do not have a maximum debt leverage ratio or a policy with respect to how much debt we may incur. The amount of debt we will be willing to incur will depend on the facts and circumstances of the proposed business combination and market conditions at the time of the potential business combination. At this time, we are not party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising additional funds through the sale of our securities or the incurrence of debt. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination.

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In the current economic environment, it has become especially difficult to obtain acquisition financing. Following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

Related Party Transactions

As of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has loaned to us a total of $75,000 (from a total of up to $250,000 that we may draw down) to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $1,100,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses.

We are obligated, commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, to pay our sponsor a monthly fee of an aggregate of up to $25,000 for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support.

Our sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 (or 4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at $1.50 per warrant ($6,600,000 in the aggregate, or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private placement warrants, our sponsor will purchase 4,000,000 (or 4,340,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants and Stifel Venture will purchase 400,000 (or 460,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants. We believe the purchase price of the private placement warrants is greater than the fair value of such units and therefore will not result in any share-based compensation expense.

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, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we consummate an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.

Controls and Procedures

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

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

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

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, including amounts in the trust account, will be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

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

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

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PROPOSED BUSINESS

We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on December 15, 2020 for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. While our efforts in identifying a prospective target business for our initial business combination will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, we intend to initially focus our search on companies that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, are financially stressed or have experienced and emerged from a financial restructuring, as described below. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction.

Business Strategy

Our sponsor is an affiliate of Schultze Asset Management, LP, an alternative investment management firm founded in 1998 that primarily focuses on distressed, special situation and event-driven securities. Schultze Asset Management’s investment objective is to achieve exceptional risk-adjusted capital appreciation through investments in various securities of companies in financial and/or legal distress or which have recently emerged from financial reorganizations or lawsuits. Since inception, the firm has invested over $3.2 billion in investments across numerous market cycles. At the core of the firm’s strategy is deep-rooted, credit- and equity-based fundamental analysis, leveraging the team’s distressed, legal, bankruptcy and financial expertise. Schultze Asset Management believes that distressed securities can often be purchased at discounts to intrinsic value given the complexities surrounding their restructuring. The firm complements its liquid investment strategy with illiquid investments where it has taken an active approach to managing such investments often through participation on credit committees, liquidating trusts and board positions. The firm has successfully deployed its active investment strategy in 12 companies involving approximately $475.0 million of invested capital, with 11 of such investments monetized to date. Said investments have generated $748 million of realized and unrealized gains, including $715 million realized as of March 31, 2021, representing an IRR of 26.6%.(1)

Schultze Asset Management and members of our management team have significant experience in identifying, investing in and operating businesses that are experiencing some level of financial distress or have successfully emerged from a financial re-organization. As a result of the success with Schultze I, a SPAC which completed its initial public offering in December 2018 and consummated a business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020, our management team has significantly expanded its capability to focus on investment opportunities in select industries where it has significant background and expertise. Such industries include but are not exclusive to aerospace & defense, communications infrastructure, consumer/food & beverage, healthcare, industrial growth, media & entertainment and technology. We believe our affiliation with Schultze Asset Management and the significant financial and operational expertise of our team, which includes our Strategic Advisors, provide us with important competitive advantages for sourcing, pursuing and evaluating an initial business combination within our target universe and creating value following such combination. We also believe one of our underwriters, Stifel, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Miller Buckfire, a leading investment bank focused on providing strategic and financial advisory services in financial restructurings, recapitalizations and other complex situations, will be of tremendous assistance in helping us identify and evaluate potential business combination candidates.

We intend to focus on pursuing business combinations with target companies that may be experiencing liquidity constraints, are financially stressed or have completed and emerged from a financial restructuring. U.S. default activity picked up significantly in 2020, with defaults surging to the second highest annual total on record, second only to 2009, with the COVID-19 pandemic being a significant driver. According to J.P. Morgan, 88 companies defaulted in 2020 comprising $129.6 billion in bonds and loans with an additional 21 companies completing distressed transactions totaling $11.8 billion. Further, debt downgrades exceeded all prior records with 640 companies being downgraded (vs. 185 companies being upgraded) totaling $549.6 billion. Owners of post-restructuring companies typically benefit from a significant reduction in liabilities including lower financial indebtedness, employee benefit obligations, litigation liabilities, contractual commitments and a generally lower operating cost structure. Such target companies often have

____________

(1)      Includes only those investments where Schultze Asset Management was or is “Actively Involved”, invested long, and invested over $10 million. Does not include short sold companies, ETFs, companies in the retail sector, leverage or margin borrowings, management and incentive fees, professional fees, and other trading expenses. Such Actively Involved investments reflect a period of performance from 2003 through March 31, 2021.

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underexploited opportunities for continued growth as a result of prior under-investment. Further, management teams often exit restructurings with increased financial and operating discipline and with meaningful equity ownership. Given the inefficiencies that may exist in the post-reorganization market, we believe a business combination within our target universe can be completed at a discount to its intrinsic value and publicly-traded peers. Whether or not we transact with a company that is experiencing liquidity constraints, is financially stressed or has previously gone through a restructuring, we expect to transact in an industry which overlaps within our core competencies and in-depth experience while also satisfying our investment criteria.

We believe a business combination through a blank check company provides meaningful benefits to owners of liquidity constrained, financially stressed or post-reorganization companies, with whom we will seek to transact with, and our investors. In the case of post-reorganization companies, owners are often former creditors, including banks, who are not natural owners of equity securities. We believe a business combination with us may provide a significant monetization event for owners desiring liquidity as well as continued equity participation for those desiring continued ownership. Further, target companies can benefit from access to a public vehicle to support organic and inorganic growth initiatives by combining with us. Our investors can benefit from ownership in a business with significantly reduced liabilities, an enhanced operating structure and a highly motivated management team.

Following our initial business combination, we, including our Strategic Advisors, intend to assist the target company in creating shareholder value which may include through board and/or senior management representation. In the case of Clever Leaves, our Executive Vice President and director nominee, Gary M. Julien, is one of five directors of the company. As a result of our team’s experience, we believe we can add value post-transaction to ensure proper corporate governance and alignment of management incentives, develop an operational and financial strategy to pursue continued organic and inorganic growth initiatives and to assist with capital raising and capital structure optimization.

The past performance of Schultze Asset Management, our management team or our Strategic Advisors, or any of their affiliates, is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of Schultze Asset Management, our management team or our Strategic Advisors, or any of their affiliates, as indicative of our future performance.

Acquisition Criteria

Consistent with our business strategy of focusing on those targets which are liquidity constrained, are financially stressed or have completed a financial restructuring and can be valued at a discount to their intrinsic value and publicly-traded peers, we have identified the following additional general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any of these criteria and guidelines.

•        Enterprise Value:    We intend to focus our efforts on seeking and completing an initial business combination with an enterprise that has a value of between $750.0 million to $1.25 billion;

•        Financial Well-Being:    We expect to primarily target an initial business combination with solid financial fundamentals, despite prior mis-steps which can often occur through previously excessive leverage, challenging industry conditions, material litigation, regulatory shifts, macroeconomic events, performance disruptions, lack of management execution or any combination thereof;

•        Leading Industry Market Position:    We intend to pursue companies whose products or services have leading positions within their respective markets with sustainable competitive advantages and natural barriers to market entry;

•        Solid Free Cash Flow Generation:    We will seek to acquire an established company with attractive operating margins, strong free cash flow generation and solid recurring revenue streams;

•        Strong Management Team:    We will seek to acquire a target business with an experienced management team and a proven track record of execution;

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•        Favorable Industry Outlook:    We will seek to acquire a target business where the end user markets of such target business’ products or services have a favorable growth outlook, which may include the aerospace & defense, communications infrastructure, consumer/food & beverage, healthcare, industrial growth, media & entertainment and technology industries;

•        Performance Catalysts:    We intend to solicit target companies that have clearly identifiable opportunities to execute on growth initiatives following the initial business combination;

•        Market Fragmentation:    We intend to seek business combinations that have significant opportunities for selective strategic acquisitions and partnerships that can complement an organic growth strategy; and

•        Benefit from Being a Public Company:    We intend to acquire a business that can benefit from being publicly-traded and can effectively utilize broader access to capital.

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

Competitive Strengths

Our management team and professionals at our affiliate, Schultze Asset Management, have extensive experience in identifying, investing in and partnering with operating companies including those that have completed a restructuring. Over the past 20 years, Schultze Asset Management has been evaluating and investing in companies during the entirety of the re-organization process with notable expertise investing in post-reorganization companies. As a result, we expect to benefit from the expertise and extensive network of contacts of both our management team and that of Schultze Asset Management. The principals of Schultze Asset Management and our management team have a significant number of relationships across the M&A and restructuring industries which include private equity firms, credit and special situation funds, senior operating executives, industry experts, investment bankers, lawyers, consultants and advisors. We also believe one of our underwriters, Stifel, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Miller Buckfire, a leading investment bank focused on providing strategic and financial advisory services in financial restructurings, recapitalizations and other complex situations, will be of tremendous assistance in helping us identify and evaluate potential business combination candidates. We believe these relationships will provide us with acquisition opportunities across a variety of industries where we have core competencies and competitive strengths. Our independent board of directors has significant leadership experience in driving growth and creating value in post-reorganization companies, both public and private, ultimately leading to successful sales of such enterprises. We believe this collective experience and success notably within the post-reorganization market will provide us an advantage with potential business combination targets both pre- and post-transaction.

With respect to the foregoing descriptions, past performance of Schultze Asset Management and our management team is not a guarantee either (i) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical performance record of Schultze Asset Management or our management team as indicative of our future performance. Certain of our officers and directors have not had experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past. In addition, our executive officers may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our executive officers and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

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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 shares of stock in the target business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses might 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, roadshow and public reporting efforts that will likely not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us. Furthermore, once the business combination is consummated, 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, that could 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 stockholders’ interests than it would have as a privately-held company. 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 status as a public company will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view the inherent limitations in our status as a blank check company as a deterrent and may prefer to effect a business combination with a more established entity or with a private company. These inherent limitations include limitations on our available financial resources, which may be inferior to those of other entities pursuing the acquisition of similar target businesses; the requirement that we seek shareholder approval of a business combination or conduct a tender offer in relation thereto, which may delay the consummation of a transaction; and the existence of our outstanding warrants, which may represent a source of future dilution.

Financial position

With funds in the trust account of approximately $200.0 million (or $230.0 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) available to use for a business combination (assuming no stockholder seeks redemption of their shares or seeks to sell their shares to us in a tender offer in relation to such business combination), we offer a target business a variety of options such as providing the owners of a target business with shares in a public company and a public means to sell such shares, 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 consummate 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, since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing if we are forced to use a significant portion of such funds for redeeming or tendering stockholders and there can be no assurance that it will be available to us.

Offering Structure

Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of shares of common stock and warrants to purchase a full share of common stock in their initial public offerings, we are selling units comprised of one share of Class A common stock and one-third of one warrant. Our management believes that investors in similarly structured blank check offerings, and those likely to invest in this offering, have come to expect the units of such companies to include one share of common stock and another security which would allow the holders to acquire additional shares of common stock. Without the ability to acquire such additional shares of common stock, our management believes the investors would not be willing to purchase units in such companies’ initial public offerings. Accordingly, because the number of shares ordinarily issuable upon exercise of the warrants found in the typical structure of other blank check initial public offerings is lessened in our case (since such warrants most often entitle the holder thereof to receive a full share of common stock as opposed to the one-third of one share of common stock that each warrant holder is entitled to purchase), although not completely eliminated, our management believes we will be viewed more favorably by potential target companies when determining which company to engage in a business combination with. However, our management may be incorrect in this belief.

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Our Management Team

Together with Schultze Asset Management, our management team has extensive investment, financial and operating experience, notably within the distressed and post-restructuring market. We believe such expertise provides us with a distinct competitive advantage when sourcing, pursuing and evaluating business combinations within the post-reorganization market and providing post-transaction oversight. We have the same management team in place for our company as with Schultze I, which successfully completed its business combination with Clever Leaves, providing valuable continuity and consistency for our investors. Further, our management team has significant industry experience across key industry focus areas including aerospace & defense, communications infrastructure, consumer/food & beverage, healthcare, industrial growth, media & entertainment and technology. Our Chairman and CEO, George J. Schultze, is the General Partner of Schultze Asset Management. Mr. Schultze leads all of Schultze Asset Management’s investments and has been directly responsible for its illiquid and active investments, which have included Algoma Steel, Clever Leaves, Chrysler, Imperial Sugar, Tropicana Entertainment, Washington Group, and Werner. Since its inception in 1998, Schultze Asset Management has made investments exceeding $3.2 billion. Our Executive Vice President and director nominee, Gary M. Julien, is also a Managing Director at Schultze Asset Management and has over 20 years of M&A, SPAC and public and private equity investment experience across a variety of industries. Our director nominee, William G. LaPerch, has notable experience in public market turnarounds within the communications infrastructure landscape, is the former CEO and a Director of AboveNet, Inc. (formerly NYSE: ABVT), a communications infrastructure provider. Following its emergence from Chapter 11 in 2003, Mr. LaPerch led AboveNet through its sale in 2012 to Zayo Group Holdings, Inc. for $2.2 billion. Our director nominee, William T. Allen, has led several successful private company turnarounds, most notably as the CEO of Werner Co., a leading manufacturer of industrial climbing products. Following Werner’s emergence from Chapter 11 in 2007, Mr. Allen oversaw a significant turnaround during his tenure leading to a successful sale of Werner to Triton Funds in 2017. Our director nominee, John J. Walker, brings significant experience as a successful public company CFO, including in turnarounds, and audit committee chair. Currently a Director at The Descartes Systems Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DSGX, TSX; DSG), Mr. Walker was formerly the CFO of Bowne which was sold to R.R. Donnelley in 2010 for $470 million and Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation which emerged from Chapter 11 in 2002 and was sold to AMC Entertainment in 2006 for $1.5 billion.

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own shares of our common stock, or other instruments, such as warrants, linked to our common stock, 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.

As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such initial business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such initial business combination opportunity to us. Certain of our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations. Accordingly, if any of such officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations to present the opportunity to such entity, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our officers and directors have agreed to present to us all target business opportunities that have a 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 the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations.

Our Strategic Advisors

In addition to our management team, we will be supported by our Strategic Advisors. We currently expect our Strategic Advisors to (i) assist us in sourcing and negotiating with potential business combination targets, (ii) provide business insights and due diligence support when we assess potential business combination targets and (iii) upon our request, provide business insights as we work to create additional value in the business or businesses that we acquire, which

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can include board seats, management positions or continued advisory capacities following the execution of a business combination. However, our Strategic Advisors are not officers of our company and have no written advisory agreements with us. Moreover, as our Strategic Advisors are not directors, they will not owe any fiduciary obligations to us nor will they perform board or committee functions or have any voting or decision-making capacity on our behalf. They will also not be required to devote any specific amount of time to our efforts or be subject to the fiduciary requirements to which our directors are subject. Accordingly, if our Strategic Advisors become aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for any of the entities to which they have fiduciary or contractual obligations, they will honor their 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. While certain of our Strategic Advisors have purchased founder shares from our sponsor, none of our Strategic Advisors have any employment, consulting fee or other similar compensation arrangements with us.

David M. Brantner, Strategic Advisor — Aerospace & Defense

Mr. David M. Brantner is a Senior Executive with 30 years of experience in Aerospace. Over 20 years of his career was with United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney where he led many groups including Strategic Sourcing, Group Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions, and ultimately became President of the $7B Commercial Engines Division. Under his tenure, Pratt & Whitney Commercial Engines completed certification and entry into service of the PW1000G Geared Turbofan series which represents significant improvements in fuel burn, noise and emissions for the commercial aircraft industry. While leading the M&A function, the group completed over 30 transactions in 17 different countries. He served in the chief customer role for UTC Aerospace Systems (now Collins Aerospace), representing the $15B division to major OEM aircraft manufacturers. Mr. Brantner was also President of GKN Aerospace, a large structures and systems provider in the UK with 53 manufacturing locations globally. More recently, he led the strategic re-alignment of Bombardier’s Commercial Aircraft division as a consultant to the CEO. He is currently a Board Member of Unical Aviation, among the largest serviceable material providers and Nordam, the advanced aerospace component manufacturing and repair company. Mr. Brantner holds a Master’s Degree in Management from Purdue University, an MBA from ESC Rouen in France, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Northeastern University.

Rajiv Datta, Strategic Advisor — Communications Infrastructure

Mr. Rajiv Datta has over 25 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry focused on the global fibre-based networking, cloud & datacentre ecosystem. He was, until recently, Chief Operating Officer at Colt Technology Services where he was responsible for all day-to-day operations, product & technology evolution as well as strategy formulation and execution for the company. Prior to Colt, Mr. Datta held various senior executive roles, most notably including 14 years at AboveNet Communications where as Chief Operating Officer he was responsible for all key functions of the company through a significant transformation. Mr. Datta was instrumental in the restructuring of AboveNet out of bankruptcy and its significant growth leading up to its successful $2.2 billion sale to Zayo in 2012. Mr. Datta holds a B.S. and M.S. in Engineering from Rutgers University and is a member of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honors Society.

Christopher B. Harned, Strategic Advisor — Consumer

Mr. Christopher B. Harned was until recently a Partner at Arbor Private Investment Company, having joined Arbor in 2016. He previously served as Managing Director of M&A at Nomura Securities International since 2014, where he was Head of its Consumer Americas business. Previously, he served as a Managing Director of M&A at Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Mr. Harned joined the firm in December 2011 and focused on strategic advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions and equity, in the consumer sector. Beginning in 2001, he served as the Managing Director, Partner and Head of the Consumer Products Group at The Cypress Group, where he was responsible for investments and where he built the Consumer Products investment strategy. He was with Lehman Brothers in the U.S. and Europe from 1985 through 2001, ultimately serving as Head of Global Consumer M&A. Mr. Harned has been a Director of Quad/Graphics, Inc. since 2005. He served as a Director of Freshpet, Inc. from October 2006 to December 2018. He served as a Non-Executive Director of Danka Business Systems PLC from March 2002 to February 2009. Mr. Harned was a Board Member of bswift, LLC, Brand Connections, Meow Mix, North American Midway Entertainment, Philadelphia Media Group and Stone Canyon Entertainment. He has several decades of experience in Consumer Products private equity and investment banking. Mr. Harned holds a B.A. in History from Williams College.

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John M. Payne, Strategic Advisor — Technology

Mr. John M. Payne has been the Managing Director of Concentrate, LLC, a consulting and turnaround company, since 2002 where he served as Executive Chairman, interim CEO, turnaround management and a member of the board of directors for multiple private companies in internet software and cybersecurity, resulting in sales to large public and private technology companies. He also serves as Executive Chairman of GIGXR, Inc., an early stage extended reality medical training business serving medical and nursing schools, hospitals, higher education and the U.S. Department of Defense. Mr. Payne has significant public company executive experience as the former CEO of two public Internet software companies, Stamps.com (STMP), where he also served as Chairman, and Day Software (SW: DAYN). While at Stamps, he led the development of its operating business and its $65 million IPO and a $365 million secondary offering co-managed by Goldman Sachs and Salomon Smith Barney. He has extensive experience in assisting strategic redirection to build, turnaround or consolidate enterprise and consumer Internet software and SaaS companies, where he has over 20 years of experience assisting Venture Capital and Private Equity investors when assets are troubled or underperforming. He served as Chairman and CEO of SimpleAir, Inc., a technology licensing company, from 2004 to 2020. Mr. Payne is an Inventor who has been awarded more than 20 patents by the USPTO covering Internet, cybersecurity and digital mail plus wireless technologies which are widely licensed across the smartphone industry. Mr. Payne holds a B.A. in Economics from University of California, Irvine.

Cara Moreno, Strategic Advisor — Media & Entertainment

Ms. Cara Moreno is the Managing Director of MediaTech Advisors, an advisory group providing fundraising, business planning and general strategic advisory work across the media and technology sectors, with a particular focus on early stage companies and Entertainment. From 2018 to 2020, Ms. Moreno was the Chief Operating Officer of Fitz Frames, a Los Angeles-based technology start-up that makes custom 3D-printed eyewear for children. For the five years prior to that, Ms. Moreno served as the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Paramount Pictures where she was responsible for evaluating and executing strategic business initiatives for the company, as well as managing the greenlight process. She started her career at Paramount as the Vice President of New Media where she launched the company’s first direct-to-consumer web-based initiative, ParamountMovies.com. From 2006 to 2009, Ms. Moreno worked at Google in Sales Operations and Strategy, as well as Finance covering the Asia Pacific and Latin American regions. Prior to that, she was a Consultant for the Boston Consulting Group based in London. Ms. Moreno spent two years as an Associate for the private equity firm Saunders, Karp & Megrue (now APAX Partners), and she started her career as an Investment Banking Analyst at NY-based M&A boutique Gleacher Partners. She currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Jhpiego, a non-profit affiliate of Johns Hopkins University providing reproductive care to 40+ countries in the developing world. Ms. Moreno holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from Boston University’s School of Management and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Effecting a Business Combination

General

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified. Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.

We will have until 24 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of

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the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

We Have Not Identified a Target Business

To date, we have not selected any target businesses on which to concentrate our search for a business combination. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business with respect to such a transaction. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate such companies. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a target business or that we will be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.

Subject to our officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitation that a target business has a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Except for the general criteria and guidelines set forth above under the caption “Business Strategy,” we have not established any other specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. To the extent we effect a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its early stage of development or growth, including entities without established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth companies. 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.

Our Acquisition Process

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management, employees and their advisors, document reviews, on-site inspection of facilities, as well as a review of historical and projected financial and other information that will be made available to us. We also expect to utilize the financial and operational restructuring expertise of Schultze Asset Management and our management team to evaluate the risk-profile and growth opportunities for such target business.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Schultze Asset Management, investment funds or separate accounts advised by Schultze Asset Management or our officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Schultze Asset Management, investment funds or separate accounts advised by Schultze Asset Management or our officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition with one or more entities affiliated with Schultze Asset Management and/or one or more investors in funds or separate accounts managed by Schultze Asset Management. Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and Schultze Asset Management considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. We refer to this potential future issuance, or a similar issuance to other specified purchasers, as a “specified future issuance” throughout this prospectus. The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance.

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Sources of Target Businesses

While we have not yet identified any acquisition candidates, we believe based on Schultze Asset Management’s as well as our management’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous acquisition candidates. We expect that our principal means of identifying potential target businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships of Schultze Asset Management as well as our officers and directors. While our officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed over their careers and their access to their contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including current and former creditors such as banks and distressed debt investment firms, investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, alternative investment management firms and other members of the financial and legal community including those involved in the restructuring industry. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls, emails or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as members of Schultze Asset Management, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending various industry conferences. Our officers and directors must present to us all target business opportunities that have a 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 the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. Schultze Asset Management is under no obligation to present us with potential acquisition targets. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our sponsor, officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the monthly administrative fee of an aggregate of up to $25,000, the repayment of any loans from our sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses. Our audit committee will review and all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, on a quarterly basis, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with Schultze Asset Management, investment funds or separate accounts advised by Schultze Asset Management, or any of our officers, directors or sponsor. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.

Investment funds and separate accounts advised by Schultze Asset Management will indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering. Additionally, Schultze Asset Management will be the beneficial owner of founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering by virtue of exercising investment power of such shares or warrants on behalf of such investment funds and separate accounts. Because of this ownership, Schultze Asset Management, investment funds and separate accounts advised by Schultze Asset Management and 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, particularly because such funds and separate accounts managed by Schultze Asset Management invest in distressed and post-restructured companies as part of their investment programs. 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 were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

All of our executive officers are employed by or advisors to Schultze Asset Management. Schultze Asset Management is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination; we have not, however, selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.

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As more fully discussed under “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” Schultze Asset Management and each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations to present the opportunity to such entity, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. The fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of Schultze Asset Management and our officers or directors may affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with an entity to which Schultze Asset Management, investment funds advised by Schultze Asset Management or an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by making a specified future issuance to any such entity. Any such Affiliated Joint Acquisition or specified future issuance would be in addition to, and would not include, the forward purchase securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination

As required by Nasdaq listing rules, approval of our initial business combination will require the affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors, which must include a majority of our independent directors. Subject to our officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary duties and the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. Except for the general criteria and guidelines set forth above under the caption “Acquisition Criteria,” we have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:

•        quality and depth of target company management;

•        public market readiness;

•        financial condition and results of operation;

•        sustainability of cash flow generation;

•        growth potential;

•        brand recognition and potential;

•        experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel;

•        capital requirements;

•        competitive position;

•        barriers to entry;

•        stage of development of the products, processes or services;

•        existing distribution and potential for expansion;

•        degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services;

•        proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas;

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•        impact of regulation on the business;

•        regulatory environment of the industry;

•        costs associated with effecting the business combination;

•        market fragmentation and potential for industry consolidation;

•        industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and

•        macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes.

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of projected and historical financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.

The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.

Fair Market Value of Target Business

The target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, although we may acquire a target business whose fair market value significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account balance.

We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of fair market value test. In order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific business combination under consideration, we have not entered into any such fund raising arrangement and have no current intention of doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently

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determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.

Lack of Business Diversification

We may seek to effect a business combination with more than one target business, and there is no required minimum valuation standard for any target at the time of such acquisition. We expect to complete only a single business combination, although this process may entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several operating businesses. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

•        subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination, and

•        result in our dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses, and such businesses 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 acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, 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.

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’s Management

Although we intend to scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target business’s management will prove to be correct. In addition, we cannot assure you that the future management will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following a business combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full time efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination 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 them to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

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 any such additional managers we do recruit will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

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

In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders 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 (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender any or all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Unlike other blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and related redemptions of public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business combination even when a vote is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act which regulate issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait 24 months from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.

Our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed (i) to vote any shares of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, including the founder shares, (ii) not to redeem any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (iii) not sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination. As a result, we would need only 7,500,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 1,250,001, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised).

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

Redemption Rights

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders 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 as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial

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business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid (which taxes may be paid only from the interest earned on the funds in the trust account). Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of Class A common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.

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

We may require public stockholders seeking redemption, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to the broker whether to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether 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. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise redemption rights to deliver their shares prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated, this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his, her or its shares if such stockholder wishes to seek to exercise his, her or its redemption rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he, she or it is a record holder or his, her or its shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his, her or its broker and requesting delivery of his, her or its shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.

The foregoing is different from the procedures historically used by some blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect redemption rights in connection with a blank check company’s business combination, the company would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ 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, her or its redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him, her or it to deliver his, her or its certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the consummation of the business combination during which he, she or it could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, such stockholder could sell his, her or its shares in the open market before actually delivering his, her or its shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become a “continuing” right surviving past the consummation of the business combination until the holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s election to redeem shares 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 vote on the proposed business combination. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share of Class A common stock delivered his, her or its certificate in connection with an election of their redemption and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the proposed business combination not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

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

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

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

Liquidation if No Business Combination

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we will continue in existence only until 24 months from the closing of this offering. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.

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Under the Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our outstanding public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period may be considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.

Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period is not considered a liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete a business combination within the prescribed time frame, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24-month anniversary of the closing of this offering, and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.

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

We are required to use our reasonable best efforts to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public stockholders. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you of this fact as there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. 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

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service provider willing to execute a waiver. Our underwriters and auditor are the only third parties we are currently aware of that may not execute a waiver. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement our sponsor entered into specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (i) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (ii) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.00 due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to their respective equity interests, an aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account net of taxes payable.

We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it will take no more than ten business days to effect such a distribution. The holders of the founder shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution with respect to such founder shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, including the private placement warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account and the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that we are permitted to withdraw to pay such expenses.

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and 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 initial per-share redemption price would be $10.00. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to the deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of public stockholders.

Our public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period or if the stockholders seek to have us redeem or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation as described elsewhere herein. In no other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

The holders of the founder shares will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to such shares. Additionally, any loans made by our officers, directors, sponsors or their affiliates for working capital needs will be forgiven and not repaid if we are unable to complete an initial business combination.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public stockholders at least $10.00 per share.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public stockholders promptly after 24 months from the closing of this offering, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to

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or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties 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 stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our stockholders. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with any such vote. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or any other person. Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive any redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:

•        we shall either (i) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which stockholders 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 (net of taxes payable), or (ii) provide our stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (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 upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination;

•        if our initial business combination is not consummated within 24 months from the closing of this offering, then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve our company;

•        upon the consummation of this offering, $200.0 million, or $230.0 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account;

•        we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and

•        prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional stock that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the common stock sold in this offering on any matter.

Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could merge with or acquire using the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete in merging with or acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.

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The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:

•        our obligation to seek stockholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction;

•        our obligation to redeem or repurchase public shares held by our public stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; and

•        our outstanding warrants, and the potential future dilution they represent.

Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately-held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.

If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

Facilities

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 800 Westchester Avenue, Suite S-632, Rye Brook, New York 10573. The cost for this space is included in the up to $25,000 per-month aggregate fee our sponsor will charge us for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to a letter agreement between us and our sponsor. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in the Rye Brook, New York area, that the fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.

Employees

We have four executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management will spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.

Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

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

We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.

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

Legal Proceedings

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

Comparison of this offering to offerings of blank check companies subject to Rule 419

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

 

Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Escrow of offering proceeds

 

$200,000,000 of the net offering proceeds, including the $6,600,000 we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants, will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at and maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.

 

$170,100,000 of the offering proceeds 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

 

The $200,000,000 of net offering proceeds including the $6,600,000 we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.

 

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.

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Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business

 

Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a 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 the agreement to enter into the initial business combination.

 

We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.

Trading of securities issued

 

The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The shares of Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus unless Stifel and Mizuho inform us of

 

No trading of the units or the underlying shares of Class A common stock and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.

   

their decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the proceeds of this offering, including any proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if such option is exercised prior to the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise and consummation of the over-allotment option.

   

Exercise of the warrants

 

The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of a business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed

 

The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of 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 the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Election to remain an investor

 

We will either (i) give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (ii) provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their public shares to us in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we must provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of stockholders. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise their rights to redeem their shares into cash or to remain an investor in our company. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as we would have included in a proxy statement. Under the tender offer rules,

 

A prospectus containing information 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 the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his or her 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 would automatically be returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued.

   

a tender offer must remain open for 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to sell their shares to us in such a tender offer or to remain an investor in our company.

   

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Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Business combination deadline

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete 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 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

If an acquisition has not been consummated within 24 months after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors.

Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence

 

Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination.

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Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

   

over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell any Excess Shares in open market transactions.

   

Interest earned on the funds in the trust account

 

There can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our franchise and income tax obligations. The remaining interest earned on the funds in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

All interest earned on the funds in the trust account will be held in trust for the benefit of public stockholders until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

Release of funds

 

Except for any amounts that we may need to pay our franchise and income tax obligations, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earliest of: (i) the completion of a business combination, (ii) our redemption of 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.

 

The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

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MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:

Name

 

Age

 

Position

George J. Schultze

 

51

 

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

Gary M. Julien

 

51

 

Executive Vice President and Director Nominee

Jeffrey M. Glick

 

59

 

Chief Financial Officer

Scarlett Du

 

53

 

Secretary

William G. LaPerch

 

65

 

Director Nominee

William T. Allen

 

64

 

Director Nominee

John J. Walker

 

68

 

Director Nominee

George J. Schultze

George J. Schultze, J.D., has been our Chairman, President and CEO since our founding on December 15, 2020. Mr. Schultze is also the Managing Member, Chairman of Investment Committee and Chairman of Strategy Committee and Founder at Schultze Asset Management, LP. Mr. Schultze also served as Chairman, CEO and President of Schultze I, from June 2018 until its business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020. Mr. Schultze is known as a foremost authority within the distressed and special situations industry with nearly 25 years of related experience. Mr. Schultze is often interviewed and quoted in the media, including CNBC and Bloomberg, and has published numerous articles in Forbes on special situations investing and high-profile reorganizations as a contributing writer since 2013. He is also a frequent speaker at industry conferences and graduate business schools. Mr. Schultze is the author of The Art of Vulture Investing: Adventures in Distressed Securities Management (Wiley Finance, 2012). He has previously served as board director or liquidation trust or creditor committee member at Le Nature’s, American Plumbing & Mechanical, Armstrong World Industries, Atkins Nutritional, Breed Technologies, Chrysler, General Chemical Group, Horizon Natural Resources, Interstate Bakeries, M. Fabrikant & Sons, Power Plumbing, The Hedge Fund Association, Tropicana Entertainment, Tweeter Home Entertainment, Twinlab, United Airlines, US Timberlands, Washington Group International, and Werner Co. Mr. Schultze has served on the Litigation Trust Subcommittee for Tropicana Entertainment since July 2009, and he served on the Board of Directors of Home Products International from 2017 to 2018. Prior to founding Schultze Asset Management in 1998, Mr. Schultze focused on distressed and special situations investing at MD Sass. Before that, he was employed at Fiduciary Partners (a fund of funds), the Law Firm of Mayer Brown & Platt and at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Schultze earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. He also received a B.A. with a joint major in Economics and Political Science and the Henry Rutgers Scholar distinction from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. We believe Mr. Schultze is well qualified to serve on our Board of Directors based on his extensive leadership and business experience, together with his strong background in distressed securities investing, finance and public company governance.

Gary M. Julien

Gary M. Julien has been our Executive Vice President since January 2021 and will serve as a director commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Julien is also a Managing Director, Acquisitions at Schultze Asset Management. Mr. Julien served as Executive Vice President of Schultze I from September 2018, and also as a director from December 2018, until its business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020. Mr. Julien has over 20 years of M&A, SPAC and public and private equity investment experience across a variety of industries. Mr. Julien previously led and supported M&A initiatives on behalf of entities controlled by Mario J. Gabelli, Chairman, and CEO of GAMCO Investors, Inc., including as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development for PMV Acquisition Corp., LICT Corporation and CIBL, Inc. From November 2009 through 2014, Mr. Julien was Senior Vice President at Bronson Point Management, an investment management firm, where he originated, oversaw and analyzed public market investments helping to the firm grow from approximately $70 million in asset under management at launch in 2010 to $1.9 billion in 2014. From 2007 through 2009, Mr. Julien led and supported M&A and corporate finance initiatives for the private investment firm Kanders & Company, Inc. and its affiliates including as Vice President, Corporate Development of Kanders & Company, Clarus Corp. and Highlands Acquisition Corp. From 2003 through 2006, Mr. Julien was Vice President, Corporate Development for Armor Holdings, Inc., an aerospace and defense

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company and portfolio company of Kanders & Company, where he oversaw mergers, acquisitions and divestitures for the company, executing 15 transactions during this period and investing approximately $1.2 billion. During this period of time, Armor Holdings’ revenue grew from $305 million to $2.4 billion prior to its sale to BAE Systems plc in July 2007 for $4.5 billion. Mr. Julien previously worked at Global Crossing Ltd. where he led and supported several M&A, joint ventures and minority investments. Mr. Julien has served as a member of the board of directors of Clever Leaves since December 2020. Mr. Julien received an M.B.A. with honors in Finance from Columbia Business School and a B.S. from the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. We believe Mr. Julien is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his business experience, including his extensive experience in investing, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance.

Jeffrey M. Glick

Jeffrey M. Glick has been our Chief Financial Officer since January 2021 and has served as Chief Financial Officer of Schultze Asset Management since May 2016 where he is responsible for all aspects of the firm’s financial reporting, treasury, accounting and tax matters. Mr. Glick served as Chief Financial Officer of Schultze I from September 2018 until its business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020. In 2011, Mr. Glick founded, and continues to operate, START U UP, LLC, a consulting firm that specializes in providing outsourced CFO and compliance services to the alternative asset management industry. Mr. Glick was previously Chief Financial Officer for Sagard Capital, a hybrid private equity and alternative asset manager, from 2008 through 2011, where he also served on the investment committee and as the Chief Compliance Officer. From 1991 through 2008, he was Chief Financial Officer of Almaz USA, a precious metals trading and marketing firm and also served as a Director of Almaz’s off-shore subsidiary. Mr. Glick previously served as Manager of Mergers and Acquisitions at Phibro Energy, a division of Salomon Brothers, and was an internal auditor in the Real Estate division at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Glick is a graduate of Binghamton University with a B.S. in Accounting.

Scarlett Du

Scarlett Du has been our Secretary since January 2021 and has served as the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Schultze Asset Management since November 2011 where she is responsible for providing advice and guidance on a range of legal, regulatory and compliance matters. Ms. Du served as Secretary of Schultze I from September 2018 until its business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020. Prior to joining Schultze Asset Management, Ms. Du worked as an in-house attorney for the Reserve Fund, a money market mutual fund that managed $120.0 billion in assets under management, from January 2008 to January 2010, and in the New York office at Ropes & Gray, a law firm, from September 2005 to January 2008. Before starting her private legal practice, Ms. Du clerked for a federal district judge, the Honorable Gordon Quist, in the Western District of Michigan. Before switching to law, Ms. Du worked in the accounting and audit field for nine years, including with Deloitte & Touche. Scarlett earned a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from City College, CUNY and a J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

William G. LaPerch

William G. LaPerch will serve as a director commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. LaPerch has served as President of LaPerch Consulting, LLC (a provider of consulting services to private equity firms) since September 2012. Mr. LaPerch served as a director of Schultze I from December 2018 until its business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020. From July 2016 to December 2019, Mr. LaPerch served as Executive Chairman of Hylan Inc., a provider of specialty contracting services in the New York City region for telecommunications providers and municipal organizations. From 2004 to 2012, Mr. LaPerch served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of AboveNet, Inc., then a publicly-traded provider of bandwidth infrastructure services, prior to which he served as Senior Vice President Operations. At AboveNet he was responsible for guiding the company out of Chapter 11 (AboveNet emerged from protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code effective September 2003) and establishing the company as a profitable and recognized leader in providing optical connectivity solutions for Fortune 1000 companies. In March 2012, AboveNet was acquired by Zayo Group Holdings for $2.2 billion. Before joining AboveNet, Mr. LaPerch served as Senior Vice President of Network Services at MCI and he also held executive positions at NYNEX. Mr. LaPerch has served on the boards of Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) since March 2013 and Windstream (formerly NASDAQ: WIN) since September 2014 and was on

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the board of Imation, Inc. (NYSE: IMN) from November 2012 to August 2015. Mr. LaPerch also serves as a board member and advisor to several privately held companies including First Light Fiber, South Reach Networks and Hylan Inc. Mr. LaPerch is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and received his M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. We believe Mr. LaPerch is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive leadership and business experience, including his management positions and service as a board member of public and private companies.

William T. Allen

William T. Allen will serve as a director commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Allen has extensive 30-year background managing businesses and providing leadership to manufacturing operations requiring operational turnarounds, notably as CEO. Amongst industries Mr. Allen has worked in have included nuclear power, oil/petrochemical, automotive, industrial equipment, steel fabrication and plastic injection molding. Mr. Allen served as a director of Schultze I from December 2018 until its business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020. Mr. Allen was, until December 2017, CEO of Werner Co., Inc., a leading manufacturer of industrial climbing products, from August 2007, and President and Chairman of the Board since March 2009, through its sale to Triton Funds in July 2017. Mr. Allen serves as a member of the board of directors of AQuity Solutions (formerly Mmodal Inc.), a leading provider of clinical documentation technology solutions to the healthcare market, and Savers, a privately held thrift store chain offering vintage and second hand shopping. Until recently, Mr. Allen also served as a board member of Rockport, a leading provider of men’s and women’s footwear, which filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and is in the process of being sold to through Section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code. He has also held board positions at USI, Arclin, Constar, Ames Taping Tools, Oriental Trading, Hines Nurseries, Running Aces Harness Park, WrightLine (former CEO), APW (former CEO), Chart Industries (former CEO) and Millennium Rail, many of which were on behalf of leading alternative investment firms including Ares Management, Black Diamond Capital Management, Oaktree Capital and Crescent Capital Group. In 2012, Mr. Allen received the Pittsburgh Business Times’ Diamond Award as CEO of the Year in the ‘Large for Profit’ category. We believe Mr. Allen is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive leadership and business experience, including his management positions and service as a board member of public and private companies.

John J. Walker, C.P.A., C.G.M.A.

John J. Walker will serve as a director commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Walker is a Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. Mr. Walker has 37 years of financial and executive management experience including 21 years as a Chief Financial Officer with both public and private companies. Since 2011, Mr. Walker has been a Director of The Descartes Systems Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: DSGX, TSX: DSG), a logistics technology company and serves as Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating Committee and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Walker served as a director of Schultze I from December 2018 until its business combination with Clever Leaves in December 2020. From 2006 through 2010, he served as Chief Financial Officer, and Senior Vice President of Bowne & Company, a New York Stock Exchange- listed provider of documentation services largely to the financial services industry, during which he led and supervised a significant financial restructuring of the company leading to a sale of the company to R.R. Donnelley in 2010 for $481 million. Prior to Bowne & Company, from 1988 to 2006, Mr. Walker was an executive with Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corporation, then the 4th largest motion picture operator in the world, including sixteen years as Chief Financial Officer. In January 2006, the company was acquired by AMC Entertainment for $1.5 billion creating the second largest theater operator in the world. Prior thereto, Mr. Walker served for six years as Controller and Principal Accounting Officer of Corporate Property Investors, then one of the largest real estate investment trusts in the United States. Mr. Walker also served for six years as Treasurer and Assistant Corporate Controller of Princess Hotels International a company involved in the ownership and operation of luxury resort hotels, real estate and timesharing developments. He is a Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Walker started his professional career with then Price Waterhouse & Co. He received his B.S. in Accounting from the University of Scranton in 1974. We believe Mr. Walker is well qualified to serve on our board of directors based on his extensive leadership, business and finance experience, including his management positions and service as a board member of public and private companies.

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Additional Team Members

In addition to our management, our team will include certain other Schultze Asset Management employees and advisors. None of these individuals have any contractual obligation to us or are otherwise required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs; however, we expect that certain of these individuals will on average dedicate a significant amount of their professional time on our affairs.

Executive Compensation

No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will pay our sponsor an aggregate fee of up to $25,000 per month for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide our executive officers or directors compensation in lieu of a salary.

Other than the administrative fee of up to $25,000 per month and the repayment of any loans made by our sponsor to us, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, they will receive repayment of any loans from our sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.

Director Independence

Currently Messrs. LaPerch, Allen and Walker would each be considered an “independent director” under the Nasdaq listing rules, which is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

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

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

Audit Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Messrs. LaPerch, Allen and Walker, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

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

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

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

•        monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;

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

•        reviewing and approving all related-party transactions;

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

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

•        appointing or replacing the independent auditor;

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

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

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

Financial Experts on Audit Committee

The audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Nasdaq’s standards define “financially literate” as being able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

In addition, we must certify to Nasdaq that the committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s financial sophistication. The board of directors has determined that Mr. Walker qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.

Nominating Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Messrs. LaPerch, Allen and Walker, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, stockholders, investment bankers and others.

Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees

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

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

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

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

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

Compensation Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Messrs. LaPerch, Allen and Walker, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

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

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

•        reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

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

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

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

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

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

Code of Ethics

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

Conflicts of Interest

Schultze Asset Management manages several investment vehicles. Funds and separate accounts managed by Schultze Asset Management or its affiliates may compete with us for business combination opportunities. If these funds or separate accounts decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing such opportunities. In addition, investment ideas generated within Schultze Asset Management may be suitable for both us and for a current or future Schultze Asset Management fund or separate account and may be directed to such investment vehicle rather than to us. Neither Schultze Asset Management nor members of our management team who are also employed by Schultze Asset Management have any obligation to present us with any opportunity for a potential business combination of which they become aware, unless presented to such member solely in his or her capacity as an officer of the company. Schultze Asset Management and/or our management, in their capacities as employees of Schultze Asset Management or in their other endeavors, currently are required to present certain investment opportunities and potential business combinations to the various related entities described above, current Schultze Asset Management investment vehicles, or third parties, before they present such opportunities to us. Schultze Asset Management and our management may have similar obligations to future investment vehicles or third parties.

Schultze Asset Management and each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes

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aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then- current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. The fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of Schultze Asset Management and our officers or directors may affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with an entity to which Schultze or an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such entity may co- invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by making a specified future issuance to any such entity. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Our sponsor, officers and directors and Schultze Asset Management have agreed not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act, until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 24 months after the closing of this offering.

Investors should also be aware of the following potential conflicts of interest:

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

•        In the course of their other business activities, Schultze Asset Management, our sponsor, officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented but barring such a conflict, must present target business opportunities that have a 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 the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations.

•        Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account.

•        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 initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

•        The founder shares beneficially owned by our sponsor, officers and directors will be released from lock-up only if a business combination is successfully completed, and the private placement warrants purchased by our sponsor will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our sponsor, officers and directors will not receive liquidation distributions with respect to any of their founder shares. For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect a business combination with.

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

•        the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

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

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

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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. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise when our board evaluates a particular business opportunity with respect to the above-listed criteria. We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has contractually agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he or she ceases to be an officer or director, to present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations he or she might have. Accordingly, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our executive officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have.

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

Individual

 

Entity

 

Entity’s Business

 

Affiliation

George J. Schultze

 

Schultze Asset Management, LP(1)

 

Institutional Investor

 

Managing Member

Gary M. Julien

 

Schultze Asset Management, LP(1)

 

Institutional Investor

 

Managing Director

   

Clever Leaves Holdings Inc.

 

Pharmaceutical Preparations

 

Director

Jeffrey M. Glick

 

Schultze Asset Management, LP(1)

 

Institutional Investor

 

Chief Financial Officer

Scarlett Du

 

Schultze Asset Management, LP(1)

 

Institutional Investor

 

Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel

William G. LaPerch

 

Hylan Inc.
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.
Windstream, Inc.
FirstLight Fiber
South Reach Networks

 

Telecom Construction
Data Centers
Telecom Services
Fiber Communications
Fiber Communications

 

Director
Director
Director
Director
Director

William T. Allen

 

AQuity Solutions
TVI, Inc. (d/b/a Savers)

 

Healthcare Services
Thrift Stores

 

Director
Director

John J. Walker

 

The Descartes Systems Group, Inc.

 

Logistics Services

 

Director

____________

(1)      Includes Schultze Asset Management, LP and its affiliates.

If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our sponsor, as well as all of our officers and directors and have agreed to vote any shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. If they purchase shares of Class A common stock as part of this offering or in the open market, however, they would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in respect of such shares but have agreed not to redeem or sell such shares to us in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination.

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

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PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

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

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

•        each of our officers, directors and director nominees; and

•        all of 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 shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of the warrants included in the units offered by this prospectus or the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.

On January 15, 2021, our sponsor purchased 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture and an aggregate of 50,000 founder shares to our Strategic Advisors, in each case at the same price originally paid for such shares. The founder shares include an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, including up to 714,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor and up to 36,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by Stifel Venture. The post-offering numbers and percentages presented below assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial stockholders forfeit an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares, and that there are 25,000,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding after this offering, consisting of 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and 5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock.

 

Prior to Offering

 

After Offering

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)

 

Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2)

 

Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Shares of Common
Stock

 

Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2)

 

Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Shares of Common
Stock

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC

 

5,349,000

(3)

 

93.0

%

 

4,635,000

 

18.5

%

George J. Schultze

 

5,349,000

(3)

 

93.0

%

 

4,635,000

 

18.5

%

Gary M. Julien

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Jeffrey M. Glick

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scarlett Du

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

William G. LaPerch

 

25,000

 

 

*

 

 

25,000

 

*

 

William T. Allen

 

25,000

 

 

*

 

 

25,000

 

*

 

John J. Walker

 

25,000

 

 

*

 

 

25,000

 

*

 

All directors and executive officers as a group (7 individuals)

 

5,424,000

 

 

94.3

%

 

4,710,000

 

18.8

%

____________

*        Less than 1%.

(1)      Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 800 Westchester Avenue, Suite S-632, Rye Brook, New York 10573.

(2)      Interests shown include founder shares, classified as shares of Class B common stock. Such shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one for one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities.”

(3)      Represents shares held by our sponsor. Schultze Asset Management is the manager of our sponsor, and Schultze Master Fund, Ltd is the majority owner of our sponsor. Each of Schultze Asset Management and Schultze Master Fund, Ltd is controlled by George J. Schultze. Accordingly, Mr. Schultze may be deemed to beneficially own all of the shares held by our sponsor. Mr. Schultze disclaims beneficial ownership of any securities held by our sponsor except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein.

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Immediately after this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units offered by this prospectus). None of our sponsor, officers or directors has indicated to us that it or they intend to purchase our securities in the offering. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital, or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Because of the ownership block held by our sponsor, officers, directors and initial stockholders, such individuals may be able to effectively exercise influence over all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.

If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, an aggregate of up to 750,000 founder shares will be forfeited. Only a number of shares necessary to maintain the collective 20% ownership interest in our shares of common stock after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option will be necessary.

The founder shares and any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion thereof are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, except (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, as well as affiliates of such members and funds and accounts advised by such members; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement or in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; (h) in the case of Stifel Venture, to any affiliate of Stifel Venture; or (i) in the event of our liquidation, merger capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e), (g) or (h), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).

Our sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 (or 4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at $1.50 per warrant ($6,600,000 in the aggregate, or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private placement warrants, our sponsor will purchase 4,000,000 (or 4,340,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants and Stifel Venture will purchase 400,000 (or 460,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering except that private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). The purchasers of the private placement warrants have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement warrants or the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founder shares may be transferred as described above), until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.

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In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. If we do not complete a business combination, the loans will be forgiven.

George J. Schultze and our sponsor are our “promoters,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws.

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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

On January 15, 2021, our sponsor purchased 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Our sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees, 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture and an aggregate of 50,000 founder shares to our Strategic Advisors, in each case at the same price originally paid for such shares.

If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their over-allotment option, our initial stockholders prior to this offering will forfeit up to an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that was not exercised, including up to 714,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor and up to 36,000 founder shares that will be subject to forfeiture by Stifel Venture. None of the founder shares transferred to our director nominees will be subject to forfeiture to the extent the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

If the underwriters determine the size of the offering should be increased (including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) or decreased, a share dividend or a contribution back to capital, as applicable, would be effectuated in order to maintain our initial stockholders’ ownership at a percentage of the number of shares to be sold in this offering.

Our sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 (or 4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at $1.50 per warrant ($6,600,000 in the aggregate, or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private placement warrants, our sponsor will purchase 4,000,000 (or 4,340,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants and Stifel Venture will purchase 400,000 (or 460,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants. We believe the purchase price of the private placement warrants is greater than the fair value of such warrants and therefore will not result in any share-based compensation expense. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering except that private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). The purchasers of the private placement warrants have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their private placement warrants or the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants (except to certain permitted transferees), until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. If we do not complete a business combination, the loans will be forgiven.

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private placement warrants, including Stifel Venture, and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that we register such securities. The holders of a majority of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us (in each case, including the underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the registration rights relating to the founder shares and the private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture shall comply with the requirements of FINRA Rule 5110 (g)(8)(B)-(D), namely that Stifel Venture may not exercise its demand and “piggy-back” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, from the commencement of sales of this offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.

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As of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has loaned to us a total of $75,000 (of a total of up to $250,000 that we may draw down) to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of this offering.

Our sponsor, which is affiliated with our officers and directors, has agreed that, commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation, it will make available to us certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from time to time. We have agreed to pay our sponsor an aggregate of up to $25,000 per month for these services. Accordingly, our officers and directors will benefit from the transaction to the extent of their interest in our sponsor. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services in the Rye Brook, New York area, that the fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.

Other than the administrative fee of up to $25,000 per month, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsor, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive the repayment of any loans from our sponsor, officers and directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.

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

Related Party Policy

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

Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar

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circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the approval of any transaction in which he or she is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

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

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors including (i) an entity that is either a portfolio company of, or has otherwise received a material financial investment from, any private equity fund or investment company (or an affiliate thereof) that is affiliated with any of the foregoing, (ii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently passive investors, (iii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently officers or directors, or (iv) an entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently invested through an investment vehicle controlled by them, unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, and the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.

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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

General

As of the date of this prospectus, we are authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001. As of the date of this prospectus, 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock are outstanding. No shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock are currently outstanding. The following description summarizes the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you. For a complete description you should refer to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, bylaws and the form of warrant agreement, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and to the applicable provisions of Delaware law.

Units

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

The shares of Class A common stock and warrants will begin to trade separately on the 52nd day after the date of this prospectus unless Stifel and Mizuho inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided that in no event may the shares of Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces.

We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet promptly upon the consummation of this offering. The audited balance sheet will reflect proceeds we receive from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option.

Common Stock

Upon the closing of this offering, 25,000,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 750,000 founder shares by our initial stockholders, on a pro rata basis), consisting of:

•        20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering; and

•        5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders.

If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering).

Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Other than with regard to our directors prior to our initial business combination as described below under the heading “Founder Shares,” holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders. Our board of directors will be divided into two

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classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the election of directors can elect all of the directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time.

Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, if we were to enter into an initial business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such an initial business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of Class A common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the initial business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.

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

We will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to convert all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. Our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a stockholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting.

However, the participation of our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any

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such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.

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

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we do not complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account not previously released to us (net of taxes payable and $150,000 for any dissolution or liquidation related expenses, as applicable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial stockholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.

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

Founder Shares

The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (x) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemptions 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 (y) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial

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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 such time period, (iii) the founder shares are shares of our Class B common stock that will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination and our executive officers, directors and director nominees have also agreed to vote any public shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, we would need only 7,500,001, or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 1,250,001, or 6.25% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised). Permitted transferees of the founder shares held by our sponsor, initial stockholders, officers and directors would be subject to the same restrictions.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination). We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B common stock at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A stockholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock. If such adjustment is not waived, the issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B common stock, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A common stock. If such adjustment is waived, the issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our common stock. Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their shares of Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Class A common stock issues in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

The founder shares and any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion thereof are subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in a letter agreement with us to be entered into by our sponsor, officers and directors. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property, except (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, as well as affiliates of such members and funds and accounts advised by such members; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate

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family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement or in connection with the consummation of an initial business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor; or (h) in the event of our liquidation, merger capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the completion of our initial business combination, provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) or (g), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements and by the same agreements entered into by our sponsor with respect to such securities (including provisions relating to voting, the trust account and liquidation distributions described elsewhere in this prospectus).

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

Preferred Stock

There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us, prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock which participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or which votes as a class with the common stock on a business combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to effect a business combination. In addition, the preferred stock could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future.

Warrants

No warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 30 days after the completion of an initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering. However, no warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of Class A common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within 90 days 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. In the event of such cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose will mean the average last reported sale price

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of the shares of Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. The warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

Once the warrants become exercisable, we may call the warrants for redemption:

•        in whole and not in part;

•        at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

•        upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and

•        if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities). If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

We have established the $18.00 per share (as adjusted) redemption criteria discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise.    If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 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. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination.

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

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

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The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision or (ii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.

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

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

If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.

Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

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In addition, if (x) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the 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.

In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event.

The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of shares of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.

Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our commercially reasonable efforts to have declared effective a prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and keep such prospectus current until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so and, if we do not maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will be unable to exercise their warrants for cash and we will not be required to net cash settle or cash settle the warrant exercise.

Warrant holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% of the shares of common stock outstanding.

No fractional shares of Class A common stock will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the holder.

Private Placement Warrants

The private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under “Principal Stockholders”). Otherwise, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering except that private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A).

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Dividends

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

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

The transfer agent for our securities and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, New York, New York 10004.

Listing of our Securities

We expect our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants quoted on Nasdaq under the symbols “SAMAU,” “SAMA” and “SAMAW,” respectively. We anticipate that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq.

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

Staggered board of directors

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our board of directors will be classified into two classes of directors of approximately equal size. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual meetings. Furthermore, because our board is classified, directors may be removed only with cause by a majority of our outstanding shares.

Special meeting of stockholders

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

Action by Written Consent

Under Delaware law, stockholder action may be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting unless the existing charter expressly prohibits action by consent. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prohibits stockholder action by written consent other than with respect to our Class B common stock. Prohibiting action by written consent is expected to protect the company from unwarranted actions by stockholders so management can focus on the company’s search for a business combination.

Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders, must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be received by the company secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the open of business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.

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Class B common stock consent right

For so long as any shares of Class B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B common stock were present and voted.

Authorized but unissued shares

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

Exclusive Forum Selection

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel; provided that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe this provision benefits our company by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law but will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

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

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

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

•        at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

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

Under certain circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring our company to negotiate in advance with our board of directors because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if our board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions which stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our sponsor and its affiliates, any of its direct or indirect transferees of at least 15% of our outstanding common stock and any group of which such persons are a part of do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.

Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Directors and Officers

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

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

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

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

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Immediately after this offering, we will have 25,000,000 shares of common stock outstanding, or 28,750,000 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering, or 23,000,000 shares of Class A common stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining shares are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. All of those shares are subject to transfer restrictions described elsewhere in this prospectus. These restricted securities will be entitled to registration rights as more fully described below under “— Registration Rights.”

Rule 144

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

•        1% of the number of shares of Class A common stock then outstanding, which will equal 200,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 230,000) if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and

•        the average weekly trading volume of the shares of Class A common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

Historically, the SEC staff had taken the position that Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, blank check companies, like us. The SEC has codified and expanded this position in the amendments discussed above by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by any shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, if the following conditions are met:

•        the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

•        the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

•        the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and

•        at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

As a result, it is likely that pursuant to Rule 144, our sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares freely without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination assuming it is not an affiliate of ours at that time.

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Registration Rights

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private placement warrants, including Stifel Venture, and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that we register such securities. The holders of a majority of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us (in each case, including the underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the registration rights relating to the founder shares and the private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture shall comply with the requirements of FINRA Rule 5110 (g)(8)(B)-(D), namely that Stifel Venture may not exercise its demand and “piggy-back” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, from the commencement of sales of this offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL TAX CONSIDERATIONS

The following are the material U.S. federal income tax considerations with respect to your acquisition, ownership, and disposition of our units or components thereof, which we refer to collectively as our securities, assuming you purchase the securities in this offering and will hold them as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

This discussion does not address all of the U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including but not limited to the alternative minimum tax and the Medicare tax on certain investment income, and it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to persons subject to special rules, such as:

•        certain financial institutions;

•        insurance companies;

•        brokers, dealers and traders in securities or foreign currencies;

•        traders that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting;

•        persons holding our securities as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion transaction or other integrated transaction;

•        former citizens or residents of the United States;

•        U.S. persons whose functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar;

•        partnerships or other pass-through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes and any beneficial owners of such entities

•        S corporations;

•        regulated investment companies;

•        real estate investment trusts;

•        grantor trusts;

•        persons liable for the alternative minimum tax; and

•        tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations).

The following does not discuss any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate taxes). This discussion is based on provisions of the Code, Treasury regulations, judicial opinions, published positions of the IRS and all other applicable authorities as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, and changes to any of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the tax consequences described herein. We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court.

If an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the entity. If you are a partner in such an entity, you should consult your tax advisor.

WE URGE PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ACQUIRING, HOLDING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES.

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Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit

Each unit will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as an investment unit consisting of one share of our Class A common stock and one-third of one warrant to acquire one share of our Class A common stock. In determining your basis for the Class A common stock and one-third of one warrant composing a unit, you should allocate your purchase price for the unit between the components on the basis of their relative fair market values at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make his or her own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult his or her tax adviser regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each share of Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant should be the holder’s tax basis in such share or one-third of one redeemable warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the share of Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A common stock and the one-third of one redeemable warrant based on their respective relative fair market values (as determined by each such unit holder on all the relevant facts and circumstances) at the time of disposition. The separation of shares of Class A common stock and warrants constituting units should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The foregoing treatment of the shares of Class A common stock and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Personal Holding Company Status

We could be subject to United States federal income tax at rates in excess of those generally applicable to corporations on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for United States federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation will generally be classified as a PHC for United States federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for United States federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock will be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

U.S. Holders

This section is addressed to U.S. holders of our securities. For purposes of this discussion, you are a “U.S. holder” if you are a beneficial owner of a security that is:

•        an individual citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

•        a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in, or under the laws of, the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

•        an estate or trust the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

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•        a trust if (A) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) it has in effect a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person.

Dividends and Distributions

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If we do make distributions on our common stock, such distributions generally will be treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions in excess of our current or accumulated earnings and profits generally will first reduce your basis in the Class A common stock (but not below zero) and then will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock (as described in the first paragraph under “— Sale or Other Disposition or Redemption of Class A Common Stock” below).

Dividends we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder generally will constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at preferential long-term capital gains rates. The redemption feature of the Class A common stock described under “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Redemption Rights” may be viewed as a position with respect to substantially similar or related property which diminishes your risk of loss and thereby affects your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

Sale or Other Disposition or Redemption of Class A Common Stock

Gain or loss you realize on the sale or other disposition of our Class A common stock (which, in general, would include a redemption of Class A common stock that is treated as a sale as described below, and including a liquidation in the event we do not consummate a business combination within the required time) generally will be capital gain or loss. The amount of your gain or loss will be equal to the difference between your tax basis in the Class A common stock disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any capital gain or loss you realize on a sale or other disposition of our Class A common stock will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if your holding period for the Class A common stock is more than one year. However, the redemption feature of the Class A common stock described under “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Redemption Rights” could affect your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the long-term capital gain tax rate with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

Generally, the amount of gain or loss recognized by a U.S. holder is an amount equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A common stock is held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A common stock based upon the then fair market values of the Class A common stock and the warrants included in the units) and (ii) the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock transferred in such disposition. A U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A common stock or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for Class A common stock received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Class A common stock, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.

If you redeem your public shares for a right to receive cash as described in “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Redemption Rights,” the redemption generally will be treated as a sale of Class A common stock described in the preceding paragraph (rather than as a dividend or distribution). The redemption will, however, be treated as a dividend or distribution and taxed as described in “— Dividends and Distributions” above if your percentage ownership in us (including shares that you are deemed to own under certain attribution rules, such as the shares into which the warrants are exercisable) after the redemption is not meaningfully reduced from what your percentage ownership was prior to the redemption. If you have a relatively minimal stock interest and, taking into account the effect of redemption by other stockholders, your percentage ownership in us is reduced as a result of the redemption, you may be regarded as having suffered a meaningful reduction in interest. For example, the IRS has ruled that any

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reduction in the stockholder’s proportionate interest will constitute a “meaningful reduction” in a transaction in which a holder held less than 1% of the shares of a corporation and did not have management control over the corporation. You should consult your own tax advisor as to whether redemption of your Class A common stock will be treated as a sale or as a dividend under the Code and, if you actually or constructively own 5% (or, if our stock is not then publicly traded, 1%) or more of our Class A common stock before redemption, whether you are subject to special reporting requirements with respect to such redemption.

Sale or Other Disposition, Exercise or Expiration of Warrants

Upon the sale or other disposition of a warrant (other than by exercise), you will generally recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale or other disposition and your tax basis in the warrant. This capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if, at the time of the sale or other disposition, the warrant has been held by you for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

In general, you will not be required to recognize income, gain or loss upon exercise of a warrant for its exercise price. Your basis in a share of Class A common stock received upon exercise will be equal to the sum of (1) your basis in the warrant and (2) the exercise price of the warrant. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, it is unclear whether your holding period for the Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date following the date of exercise or on the date of exercise of the warrants; in either case, the holding period will not include the period during which you held the warrants.

Although there is no direct legal authority as to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an exercise of a warrant on a cashless basis, we intend to take the position that such exercise will not be taxable, either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because it qualifies as a tax-free recapitalization. In the former case, the holding period of the Class A common stock should commence on the day after the warrant is exercised. In the latter case, the holding period of the Class A common stock would include the holding period of the exercised warrant. However, our position is not binding on the IRS and the IRS may treat a cashless exercise of a warrant as a taxable exchange. You are urged to consult your own tax advisor as to the consequences of an exercise of a warrant on a cashless basis.

If a warrant expires without being exercised, you will recognize a capital loss in an amount equal to your basis in the warrant. Such loss will be long-term capital loss if, at the time of the expiration, the warrant has been held by you for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Constructive Dividends on Warrants

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If at any time during the period you hold warrants, however, we were to pay a taxable dividend to our stockholders and, in accordance with the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, the conversion rate of the warrants were increased, that increase would be deemed to be the payment of a taxable dividend to you to the extent of our earnings and profits, notwithstanding the fact that you will not receive a cash payment. If the conversion rate is adjusted in certain other circumstances (or in certain circumstances, there is a failure to make adjustments), such adjustments may also result in the deemed payment of a taxable dividend to you. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the proper treatment of any adjustments to the warrants.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Information returns may be filed with the IRS with respect to dividends or other distributions we may pay to you and proceeds from the sale of your shares of Class A common stock or warrants. You will be subject to backup withholding on these payments if you fail to provide your taxpayer identification number to the paying agent and comply with certain certification procedures or otherwise establish an exemption from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld with respect to your shares of Class A common stock or warrants under the backup withholding rules will be refunded to you or credited against your United States federal income tax liability, if any, by the IRS provided that certain required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

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Non-U.S. Holders

This section is addressed to non-U.S. holders of the securities. For purposes of this discussion, a “non-U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of a security (other than an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not a U.S. holder.

Dividends and Distributions

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If, however, we were to pay taxable dividends to you with respect to your shares of Class A common stock (including any deemed distributions treated as a dividend on the warrants, as described in “— Constructive Dividends on Warrants” below), those dividends would generally be subject to United States withholding tax at a rate of 30% of the gross amount, unless you are eligible for a reduced rate of or exemption from withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and you provide properly executed certification of your eligibility for such reduced rate or exemption (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E). Such form must be provided prior to the payment of dividends and must be updated periodically. If a Non-U.S. Holder holds our securities through a financial institution or other agent acting on the holder’s behalf, the holder will be required to provide appropriate documentation to such agent. The holder’s agent may then be required to provide certification to the applicable withholding agent, either directly or through other intermediaries. If you are eligible for a reduced rate of or exemption from U.S. withholding tax under an income tax treaty, you should consult with your own tax advisor to determine if you are able to obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for a refund with the IRS. In the case of any constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a Non-U.S. Holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. A distribution generally will constitute a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits as determined under the Code. Any distribution not constituting a dividend generally will be treated first as reducing your basis in your shares of Class A common stock and, to the extent it exceeds your basis, as gain from the disposition of your shares of Class A common stock treated as described under “Sale or Other Disposition of Class A Common Stock or Warrants” below. The full amount of any distributions to you may, however, be subject to United States withholding tax unless the applicable withholding agent elects to withhold a lesser amount based on a reasonable estimate of the amount of the distribution that would be treated as a dividend. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Sale or Other Disposition of Class A Common Stock or Warrants” below), we will withhold at least 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits as provided by the Code.

Dividends we pay to you that are effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if certain income tax treaties apply, are attributable to a United States permanent establishment maintained by you) generally will not be subject to United States withholding tax if you comply with applicable certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends generally will be subject to United States federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to United States persons. If you are a corporation, effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate or exemption as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).

Exercise of Warrants

You generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the exercise of the warrants into shares of Class A common stock. However, if a cashless exercise of warrants results in a taxable exchange, as described in “— U.S. Holders — Sale or Other Disposition, Exercise or Expiration of Warrants,” the rules described below under “Sale or Other Disposition of Class A Common Stock or Warrants” would apply.

Sale or Other Disposition of Class A Common Stock or Warrants

You generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of shares of Class A common stock (which would include a dissolution and liquidation if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required timeframe) or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), unless:

•        the gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment you maintain);

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•        you are an individual, you hold your shares of Class A common stock or warrants as capital assets, you are present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and you meet other conditions, and you are not eligible for relief under an applicable income tax treaty; or

•        we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for United States federal income tax purposes and, in the case where the shares of our Class A common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, you hold or have held, directly or indirectly, at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding disposition or your holding period for your shares of Class A common stock or warrants, more than 5% of our Class A common stock. Special rules may apply to the determination of the 5% threshold in the case of a holder of a warrant. You are urged to consult your own tax advisors regarding the effect of holding the warrants on the calculation of such 5% threshold. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of (1) the fair market value of our United States real property interests, (2) the fair market value of our non-United States real property interests and (3) the fair market value of any other of our assets which are used or held for use in our trade or business. Although we currently are not a United States real property holding corporation, we cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we consummate an initial business combination.

Gain that is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business within the United States generally will be subject to United States federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same rates applicable to United States persons. If you are a corporation, the branch profits tax also may apply to such effectively connected gain. If the gain from the sale or disposition of your shares of Class A common stock or warrants is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States but under an applicable income tax treaty is not attributable to a permanent establishment you maintain in the United States, your gain may be exempt from United States tax under the treaty. If you are described in the second bullet point above, you generally will be subject to United States federal income tax at a rate of 30% on the gain realized, although the gain may be offset by some United States source capital losses realized during the same taxable year. If you are described in the third bullet point above, gain recognized by you on the sale, exchange or other disposition of shares of Class A common stock or warrants will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at normal graduated U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of your shares of Class A common stock or warrants may be required to withhold United States income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition.

If you redeem your public shares for a right to receive cash as described in “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Redemption Rights,” the redemption generally will be treated as a sale of Class A common stock rather than as a dividend or distribution. The redemption will, however, be treated as a dividend or distribution and taxed as described in “Dividends and Distributions” above if your percentage ownership in us (including shares that you are deemed to own under certain attribution rules, such as the shares into which the warrants are exercisable) after the redemption is not meaningfully reduced from what your percentage ownership was prior to the redemption. See the discussion in “— U.S. Holders — Sale or Other Disposition or Redemption of Class A Common Stock.” You should consult your own tax advisor as to whether redemption of your Class A common stock will be treated as a sale or as a dividend under the Code.

Constructive Dividends on Warrants

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If at any time during the period you hold warrants, however, we were to pay a taxable dividend to our stockholders and, in accordance with the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, the conversion rate of the warrants were increased, that increase would be deemed to be the payment of a taxable dividend to you to the extent of our earnings and profits, notwithstanding the fact that you will not receive a cash payment. If the conversion rate is adjusted in certain other circumstances (or in certain circumstances, there is a failure to make adjustments), such adjustments may also result in the deemed payment of a taxable dividend to you. Any resulting withholding tax attributable to deemed dividends would be collected from other amounts payable or distributable to you. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the proper treatment of any adjustments to the warrants.

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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

We must report annually to the IRS the amount of dividends or other distributions we may pay to you on your shares of Class A common stock and the amount of tax we withhold on any such distributions regardless of whether withholding is required. The IRS may make copies of the information returns reporting those dividends and amounts withheld available to the tax authorities in the country in which you reside pursuant to the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty or exchange of information treaty.

The United States imposes backup withholding on dividends and certain other types of payments to United States persons. You will not be subject to backup withholding on dividends you receive on your shares of Class A common stock if you provide proper certification (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E) of your status as a non-United States person or you are a corporation or one of several types of entities and organizations that qualify for exemption (an “exempt recipient”).

Information reporting and backup withholding generally are not required with respect to the amount of any proceeds from the sale of your shares of Class A common stock or warrants outside the United States through a foreign office of a foreign broker that does not have certain specified connections to the United States. However, if you sell your shares of Class A common stock or warrants through a United States broker or the United States office of a foreign broker, the broker will be required to report to the IRS the amount of proceeds paid to you unless you provide appropriate certification (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E) to the broker of your status as a non-United States person or you are an exempt recipient. Information reporting also would apply if you sell your shares of Class A common stock or warrants through a foreign broker deriving more than a specified percentage of its income from United States sources or having certain other connections to the United States.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld with respect to your shares of Class A common stock or warrants under the backup withholding rules will be refunded to you or credited against your United States federal income tax liability, if any, by the IRS provided that certain required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

FATCA

Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and applicable administrative guidance (collectively, “FATCA”) impose a 30% U.S. federal withholding tax on payments of dividends on our securities made to (i) a “foreign financial institution,” as defined under such rules, unless such institution enters into an agreement with the Department of Treasury to, among other things, collect and provide to it substantial information regarding such institution’s United States financial account holders, including certain account holders that are foreign entities with United States owners or, in the case of a foreign financial institution in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the United States, such institution complies with the requirements of such agreement and (ii) a “non-financial foreign entity,” as defined under such rules, unless such entity provides the paying agent with a certification that it does not have any substantial United States owners or a certification identifying the direct and indirect substantial United States owners of the entity, unless in each case, an exemption applies. All prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our securities.

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UNDERWRITING

Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters named below, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and Mizuho Securities USA LLC, have severally agreed to purchase from us on a firm commitment basis the following respective number of units at a public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. The underwriters may sell units to the public through one or more of their affiliates or selling agents.

Underwriter

 

Number of
Units

Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated

   

Mizuho Securities USA LLC

   
     
   

Total

 

20,000,000

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $           per unit. After the initial offering of the units, the offering price and other selling terms may from time to time be varied by the underwriters.

If the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the public offering price. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional units approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.

We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of Stifel and Mizuho, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, shares of common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock subject to certain exceptions. Stifel and Mizuho, in their sole discretion, may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.

Except as described herein, our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.

The private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described herein under “Principal Stockholders.”

Our sponsor transferred 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture at the same price originally paid for such shares, of which up to 36,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. In addition, Stifel Venture has committed to purchase 400,000 private placement warrants (or 460,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full)

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at $1.50 per warrant in a private placement that will close simultaneously with this offering. The private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to the warrants sold in this offering, except as described under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Private Placement Warrants,” including that, subject to certain exceptions, the private placement warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and that the warrants will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of this offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). Such founder shares and private placement warrants (and the underlying shares issuable pursuant to the warrants) are considered underwriting compensation in connection with this offering and are subject to lock-up restrictions, as required by FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1) and may not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of such securities by any person for a period of 180 days beginning on the date of commencement of sales of the offering, except as provided in FINRA Rule 5110(e)(2).

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private placement warrants, including Stifel Venture, and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands that we register such securities. The holders of a majority of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us (in each case, including the underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the registration rights relating to the founder shares and the private placement warrants held by Stifel Venture shall comply with the requirements of FINRA Rule 5110 (g)(8)(B)-(D), namely that Stifel Venture may not exercise its demand and “piggy-back” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, from the commencement of sales of this offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.

The founder shares held by, and the private placement warrants to be purchased by, Stifel Venture are deemed underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual.

The following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discounts and commissions we are to pay to the underwriters. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

No Exercise

 

Full Exercise

Per Unit(1)

 

$

0.55

 

$

0.55

Total(1)

 

$

11,000,000

 

$

12,650,000

____________

(1)      Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus.

In addition, we have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel (excluding blue sky fees and expenses), in an amount not to exceed $25,000.

If we do not consummate an initial business combination within 24 months from the closing of this offering, we and the underwriters have agreed that: (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account; and (ii) the deferred underwriters’ discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) to the public stockholders.

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In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option, and stabilizing purchases.

•        Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering.

•        “Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

•        “Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

•        Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions.

•        To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase shares in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

•        To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the over-allotment option. In determining the source of shares to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.

•        Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.

We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $1,100,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions.

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.

We are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future, including by acting as a placement agent in a private offering or underwriting or arranging debt financing. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination. Any fees we may pay the underwriter or its affiliates for services rendered to us after this offering may be contingent on the completion of a business combination and may include non-cash compensation. The underwriter or its affiliates that provide these services to us may have a potential conflict of interest given that the underwriter is entitled to the deferred portion of its underwriting compensation for this offering only if an initial business combination is completed within the specified timeframe.

In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments

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and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Selling Restrictions

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

The distribution of the units in Canada is being made only in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia on a private placement basis exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each province where trades of these units are made. Any resale of the units in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws which may vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of the units.

Representations of Canadian Purchasers

By purchasing the units in Canada and accepting delivery of a purchase confirmation, a purchaser is representing to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

•        the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase the units without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws as it is an “accredited investor” as defined under National Instrument 45-106 — Prospectus Exemptions,

•        the purchaser is a “permitted client” as defined in National Instrument 31-103 — Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations,

•        where required by law, the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent, and

•        the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions.

Conflicts of Interest

Canadian purchasers are hereby notified that the underwriters are relying on the exemption set out in section 3A.3 or 3A.4, if applicable, of National Instrument 33-105 — Underwriting Conflicts from having to provide certain conflict of interest disclosure in this document.

Statutory Rights of Action

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if the prospectus (including any amendment thereto) such as this document contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser of these units in Canada should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Enforcement of Legal Rights

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of those persons may be located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

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Taxation and Eligibility for Investment

Canadian purchasers of the units should consult their own legal and tax advisors with respect to the tax consequences of an investment in the units in their particular circumstances and about the eligibility of the units for investment by the purchaser under relevant Canadian legislation.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

This prospectus is not a disclosure document for the purposes of Australia’s Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) of Australia, or Corporations Act, has not been lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission and is only directed to the categories of exempt persons set out below. Accordingly, if you receive this prospectus in Australia:

You confirm and warrant that you are either:

•        a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act;

•        a “sophisticated investor” under section 708(8)(c) or (d) of the Corporations Act and that you have provided an accountant’s certificate to the Company which complies with the requirements of section 708(8)(c)(i) or (ii) of the Corporations Act and related regulations before the offer has been made;

•        a person associated with the Company under Section 708(12) of the Corporations Act; or

•        a “professional investor” within the meaning of section 708(11)(a) or (b) of the Corporations Act.

To the extent that you are unable to confirm or warrant that you are an exempt sophisticated investor, associated person or professional investor under the Corporations Act any offer made to you under this prospectus is void and incapable of acceptance.

You warrant and agree that you will not offer any of the units issued to you pursuant to this prospectus for resale in Australia within 12 months of those securities being issued unless any such resale offer is exempt from the requirement to issue a disclosure document under section 708 of the Corporations Act.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each a “Relevant State”), no units have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in that Relevant State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units which has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that the units may be offered to the public in that Relevant State at any time:

(a)     to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation;

(b)    to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or

(c)     in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,

provided that no such offer of the units shall require the company or the underwriters to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in any Relevant State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

No securities have been offered or sold, and no securities may be offered or sold, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than to persons whose ordinary business is to buy or sell shares or debentures, whether as principal or agent; or to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong (“SFO”) and any rules made under that Ordinance; or in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong (“CO”) or which do not constitute

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an offer or invitation to the public for the purpose of the CO or the SFO. No document, invitation or advertisement relating to the units has been issued or may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the SFO and any rules made under that Ordinance.

This prospectus has not been registered with the Registrar of Companies in Hong Kong. Accordingly, this prospectus may not be issued, circulated or distributed in Hong Kong, and the units may not be offered for subscription to members of the public in Hong Kong. Each person acquiring the units will be required, and is deemed by the acquisition of the units, to confirm that he or she is aware of the restriction on offers of the units described in this prospectus and the relevant offering documents and that he or she is not acquiring, and has not been offered any securities in circumstances that contravene any such restrictions.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Israel

This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Israeli Securities Law, 5728-1968, or the Securities Law, and has not been filed with or approved by the Israel Securities Authority. In Israel, this prospectus is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer of the units is directed only at, (i) a limited number of persons in accordance with the Israeli Securities Law and (ii) investors listed in the first addendum, or the Addendum, to the Israeli Securities Law, consisting primarily of joint investment in trust funds, provident funds, insurance companies, banks, portfolio managers, investment advisors, members of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, underwriters, venture capital funds, entities with equity in excess of NIS 50 million and “qualified individuals,” each as defined in the Addendum (as it may be amended from time to time), collectively referred to as qualified investors (in each case, purchasing for their own account or, where permitted under the Addendum, for the accounts of their clients who are investors listed in the Addendum). Qualified investors are required to submit written confirmation that they fall within the scope of the Addendum, are aware of the meaning of same and agree to it.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The offering has not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948 of Japan, as amended), or FIEL, and the Initial Purchaser will not offer or sell any securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the FIEL and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus has not been and will not be lodged or registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

•        a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

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•        a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the units pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

•        to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

•        where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

•        where the transfer is by operation of law;

•        as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

•        as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

The units may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This prospectus has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the units or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the company or the units have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this prospectus will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA, and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

In relation to the United Kingdom, no securities have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in the United Kingdom prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities that either (i) has been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority in accordance with the transitional provisions in Regulation 74 of the Prospectus (Amendment etc.) (EU exit) Regulations 2019, except that offers of securities may be made to public in the United Kingdom at any time under the following exemptions under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, as amended, as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the “UK Prospectus Regulation”):

          a.      to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the UK Prospectus Regulation;

          b.      to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or

          c.      in any other circumstances falling within section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended, the “FSMA”),

provided that no such offer of securities shall require the issuer or the underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.

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For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any securities in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any securities.

In the United Kingdom, this prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the UK Prospectus Regulation who are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) high net worth entities or other persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or (iii) other persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons being referred to as “relevant persons”).

Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this prospectus or any of its contents. Any investment or investment activity to which this prospectus relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Greenberg Traurig, LLP, New York, New York, is acting as our counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this offering. Paul Hastings LLP, Los Angeles, California, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

EXPERTS

The financial statements of Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II as of January 15, 2021 and for the period from January 1, 2021 (commencement of operations) through January 15, 2021 included in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.

Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its public reference facility at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.

You may also obtain copies of the documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference facilities.

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F-1

Table of Contents

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholder and Board of Directors of

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) as of January 15, 2021, and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from January 1, 2021 (commencement of operations) through January 15, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of January 15, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from January 1, 2021 (commencement of operations) through January 15, 2021 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Explanatory Paragraph — Going Concern

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of January 15, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans with regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might become necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Marcum LLP

Marcum LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

New York, NY

February 3, 2021, except for the second paragraph in Note 8 as to which the date is June 14, 2021

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Table of Contents

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

Balance SheetS

 

MARCH 31,
2021

 

JANUARY 15,
2021

   

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current asset – cash

 

$

9,358

 

 

$

100,000

 

Deferred offering costs

 

 

197,777

 

 

 

35,000

 

TOTAL ASSETS

 

$

207,135

 

 

$

135,000

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued expenses

 

$

1,000

 

 

$

1,000

 

Accrued offering costs

 

 

107,234

 

 

 

35,000

 

Promissory note – related party

 

 

75,000

 

 

 

75,000

 

Total Current Liabilities

 

 

183,234

 

 

 

111,000

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stockholder’s Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred Stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 shares issued and outstanding(1)

 

 

575

 

 

 

575

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

24,425

 

 

 

24,425

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(1,099

)

 

 

(1,000

)

Total Stockholder’s Equity

 

 

23,901

 

 

 

24,000

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

 

$

207,135

 

 

$

135,000

 

____________

(1)      Includes up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Table of Contents

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

FOR THE
PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1,
2021 (COMMENCEMENT
OF OPERATIONS) THROUGH
MARCH 31,
2021

 

FOR THE
PERIOD FROM
JANUARY 1,
2021 (COMMENCEMENT
OF OPERATIONS)
THROUGH
JANUARY 15,
2021

   

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

(Audited)

 

Formation and operational costs

 

$

1,100

 

 

$

1,000

 

Interest income

 

 

(1

)

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(1,099

)

 

$

(1,000

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1)

 

 

5,000,000

 

 

 

5,000,000

 

Basic and diluted net loss per common share

 

$

(0.00

)

 

$

(0.00

)

____________

(1)      Excludes up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Table of Contents

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 1, 2021 (COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS) THROUGH MARCH 31, 2021

 

Class B
Common Stock
(1)

 

Additional Paid-in
Capital

 

Accumulated Deficit

 

Stockholder’s Equity

   

Shares

 

Amount

 

Balance – January 1, 2021
(commencement of operations)

 

 

$

 

$

 

$

 

 

$

 

       

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor(1)

 

5,750,000

 

 

575

 

 

24,425

 

 

 

 

 

25,000

 

       

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1,000

)

 

 

(1,000

)

Balance – January 15, 2021
(Audited)

 

5,750,000

 

$

575

 

$

24,425

 

$

(1,000

)

 

$

24,000

 

       

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(99

)

 

 

(99

)

       

 

   

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Balance – March 31, 2021
(Unaudited)

 

5,750,000

 

$

575

 

$

24,425

 

$

(1,099

)

 

$

23,901

 

____________

(1)      Includes up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

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Table of Contents

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

FOR THE
PERIOD FROM
JANUARY 1,
2021 (COMMENCEMENT
OF OPERATIONS)
THROUGH MARCH 31,
2021

 

FOR THE
PERIOD FROM
JANUARY 1,
2021 (COMMENCEMENT
OF OPERATIONS)
THROUGH
JANUARY 15,
2021

   

 

(Unaudited)

 

 

 

(Audited)

 

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(1,099

)

 

$

(1,000

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued expenses

 

 

1,000

 

 

 

1,000

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(99

)

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock to the Sponsor

 

 

25,000

 

 

 

25,000

 

Proceeds from promissory note – related party

 

 

75,000

 

 

 

75,000

 

Payment of offering costs

 

 

(90,543

)

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

9,457

 

 

 

100,000

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Change in Cash

 

 

9,358

 

 

 

100,000

 

Cash – Beginning

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash – Ending

 

$

9,358

 

 

$

100,000

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs

 

$

107,234

 

 

$

35,000

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

F-6

Table of Contents

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp. II (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on December 15, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effectuating a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).

The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity through March 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (the “Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed initial public offering of 20,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) which is discussed in Note 3 and the sale of an aggregate of 4,400,000 warrants (or 4,800,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant that will close in a private placement to Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC (the “Sponsor”) and Stifel Venture Corp. (“Stifel Venture”), an affiliate of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, one of the representatives of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering, simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (see Note 4).

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing a definitive agreement to enter a Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s stockholders, as described below.

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares

F-7

Table of Contents

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN (cont.)

for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination only if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, Sponsor and the Company’s directors, officers and initial stockholders have agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.

Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Sponsor and the Company’s directors, officers and initial stockholders have agreed (a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and any Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination, and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

The Company will have until 24 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (net of taxes payable and less up to $150,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors,

F-8

Table of Contents

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN (cont.)

dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

The Company’s initial stockholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Company’s initial stockholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company to ensure that the proceeds in the Trust Account are not reduced below $10.00 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by the Company for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to the Company. Additionally, the agreement entered into by the Sponsor specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (i) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, or (ii) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

Going Concern Consideration

At March 31, 2021, the Company had $9,358 in cash and a working capital deficit of $173,876. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, close of the Proposed Public Offering, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

F-9

Table of Contents

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

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

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021.

Deferred Offering Costs

Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to stockholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses incurred, will be charged to operations.

F-10

Table of Contents

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)

Income Taxes

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if any, as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from January 1, 2021 (commencement of operations) through March 31, 2021. The Company’s deferred tax assets were deemed to be de minimis as of March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021.

Net Loss Per Common Share

Net loss per share of common stock is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 750,000 shares of Class B common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). At March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.

Recent Accounting Standards

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective January 1, 2021. The adoption of ASU 2020-06 did not have an impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

F-11

Table of Contents

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 3. PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 20,000,000 Units (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of the Company’s Class A common stock and one-third of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 7).

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

The Sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 4,800,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.50 per Private Placement Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,600,000 (or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Among the Private Placement Warrants, the Sponsor will purchase 4,000,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 4,340,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and Stifel Venture will purchase 400,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 460,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Founder Shares

On January 15, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 5,750,000 shares (the “Founder Shares”) of the Company’s Class B common stock for an aggregate price of $25,000. The Sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 Founder Shares to each of the Company’s independent director nominees, 276,000 founder shares to Stifel Venture and an aggregate of 50,000 founder shares to the Company’s strategic advisors, in each case at the same price originally paid for such shares. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the initial stockholders to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, including up to 714,000 Founder Shares that will be subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor and up to 36,000 Founder Shares that will be subject to forfeiture by Stifel Venture, so that the initial stockholders will collectively own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).

The Company’s initial stockholders have agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Administrative Services Agreement

The Company intends to enter into an agreement, commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay the Sponsor a total of up to $25,000 per month for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support.

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SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (cont.)

Promissory Note — Related Party

On January 15, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $250,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and is payable on the earlier of (i) June 30, 2021, (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021, there was $75,000 outstanding under the Promissory Note.

Related Party Loans

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s directors and officers may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-Business Combination entity at a price of $1.50 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS

Registration Rights

The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants (and the underlying shares of Class A common stock) and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans (and the underlying shares of common stock) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering. The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities. The holders of the majority of the securities can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company consummates a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidated damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering the Company’s securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement

The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the Proposed Public Offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,600,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of $0.0001 par value preferred stock. At March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

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SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY (cont.)

Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue up to 200,000,000 shares of Class A, $0.0001 par value common stock. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.

Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue up to 20,000,000 shares of Class B, $0.0001 par value common stock. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At March 31, 2021 and January 15, 2021, there were 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that the initial stockholders will own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).

Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, except as required by law.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment). In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the Proposed Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination).

Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the consummation of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years from the consummation of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of Class A common stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective within 90 days following the consummation of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:

•        in whole and not in part;

•        at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;

•        upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and

•        if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities).

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SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY (cont.)

If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

The exercise price and number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the Public Warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of Class A common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of Public Warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their Public Warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with respect to such Public Warrants. Accordingly, the Public Warrants may expire worthless.

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Company’s initial stockholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Company’s initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of such initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the 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.

The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants held by Stifel Venture will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A).

NOTE 8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date that the audited and interim financial statements were available to be issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements, except as noted below.

On April 12, 2021, the SEC issued a statement with respect to the accounting for warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies. On June 14, 2021, upon further review of the proposed form of warrant agreement, management concluded that the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants to be issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.

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20,000,000 Units

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

_______________________________________

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

          , 2021

_______________________________________

Book-Running Managers

Stifel

Mizuho Securities

Until        , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade shares of our Class A common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

 

 

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:

SEC registration fee

 

 

25,000

 

FINRA filing fee

 

 

35,000

 

Accounting fees and expenses

 

 

30,000

 

Nasdaq listing fees

 

 

5,000

 

Printing and engraving expenses

 

 

25,000

 

Legal fees and expenses

 

 

275,000

 

Directors & Officers insurance

 

 

600,000

 

Miscellaneous

 

 

105,000

(1)

Total

 

$

1,100,000

 

____________

(1)      This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by the Company in connection with the offering over and above those specifically listed above, including distribution and mailing costs.

Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”).

Section 145 of the DGCL concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

“Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

(a)     A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, has reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.

(b)    A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to

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be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

(c)     To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

(d)    Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.

(e)     Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

(f)     The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.

(g)    A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.

(h)    For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

(i)     For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or

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beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.

(j)     The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

(k)    The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).”

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.

If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation limiting or eliminating the liability of directors, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to further limit or eliminate the liability of directors on a retroactive basis.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation, attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.

The right to indemnification conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of

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expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.

The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Our bylaws include provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.

Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.

We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors, a form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.9 to this Registration Statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.

Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.

(a)     During the past three years, we sold the following shares of Class B common stock without registration under the Securities Act:

Stockholder

 

Number of Shares

Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC

 

5,750,000

Such shares were issued in January 15, 2021 pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as the shares were sold to an accredited investor. The shares issued were sold for an aggregate offering price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share.

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Our sponsor and Stifel Venture have committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,400,000 (or 4,800,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) private placement warrants at $1.50 per warrant ($6,600,000 in the aggregate, or $7,200,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private placement warrants, our sponsor will purchase 4,000,000 (or 4,340,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants and Stifel Venture will purchase 400,000 (or 460,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) warrants. These issuances will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.

Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.

(a)     The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

Exhibit No.

 

Description

1.1

 

Form of Underwriting Agreement.

3.1

 

Certificate of Incorporation.*

3.2

 

Form of Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

3.3

 

Bylaws.*

4.1

 

Specimen Unit Certificate.*

4.2

 

Specimen Class A Common Stock Certificate.*

4.3

 

Specimen Warrant Certificate (included in Exhibit 4.4).

4.4

 

Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.

5.1

 

Opinion of Greenberg Traurig, LLP.*

10.1

 

Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC, the initial stockholders and each of the Registrant’s officers and directors.*

10.2

 

Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.

10.3

 

Form of Registration Rights Agreement among the Registrant and certain security holders.*

10.4

 

Form of Warrant Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC.

10.5

 

Form of Warrant Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and Stifel Venture Corp.

10.6

 

Form of Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant and Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC.*

10.7

 

Securities Subscription Agreement, dated January 15, 2021, between the Registrant and Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC.*

10.8

 

Promissory Note, dated January 15, 2021, issued to Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Sponsor II, LLC.*

10.9

 

Form of Indemnity Agreement.*

14

 

Form of Code of Ethics.*

23.1

 

Consent of Marcum LLP.

23.2

 

Consent of Greenberg Traurig, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).*

24

 

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the initial Registration Statement).*

99.1

 

Form of Audit Committee Charter.*

99.2

 

Form of Compensation Committee Charter.*

99.3

 

Form of Nominating Committee Charter.*

99.4

 

Consent of Gary M. Julien.*

99.5

 

Consent of William G. LaPerch.*

99.6

 

Consent of William T. Allen.*

99.7

 

Consent of John J. Walker.*

____________

*        Previously filed.

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Item 17. Undertakings.

(a)     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)    To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

i.       To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

ii.      To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

iii.     To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

(2)    That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)    To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4)    That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933 in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i)     Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii)    Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii)   The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv)   Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

(b)    The undersigned hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

(c)     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In

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the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(d)    The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1)    For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2)    For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Rye Brook, New York, on the 14th day of June, 2021.

 

SCHULTZE SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION CORP. II

   

By:

 

/s/ George J. Schultze

       

George J. Schultze

Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Name

 

Position

 

Date

/s/ George J. Schultze

 

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

 

June 14, 2021

George J. Schultze

 

/s/ Jeffrey M. Glick

 

Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and
Accounting Officer)

 

June 14, 2021

Jeffrey M. Glick

 

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